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T R EATI S E 

• ON 

HEMP, 

INCLUDING 

A COMPREHENSIVE ACCOUNT 

OF THE 

BEST MODES 

OF 

Cultivation ano preparation 

AS PRACTISED IN 

EUROPE, ASIA, and AMERICA; 

WITH OBSERVATIONS ON THE 

SUNN PLANT 

OF INDIA, 

WHICH MAY BE INTRODUCED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR MANY OF THE PURPOSES TO 
WHICH HEMP IS NOW EXCLUSIVELY APPLIED. 

By ROBERT WISSETT, Esq. F. R. and A. S., 

4 i 

Clerk to the Committee of Warehouses of the East India Company. 

WITH 

AN APPENDIX, 

ON THE MOST EFFECTUAL MEANS OF PRODUCING A SUFFICIENCY OF 
ENGLISH GROWN HEMP, 

BY THE 

RIGHT HON. LORD SOMERVILLE. 



LONDON: 

Printed for J. HARDING, No. 36, St. James's Street. 
1808. 



4' 



Printed by 

£ Cox, Son, and Bay lit, 

Gt. Queen Str. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Of the various productions of nature, which are alike conducive to the 
comforts, to the opulence, to the security, and to the independent exis- 
tence of maritime nations, there are few, perhaps, at the present crisis, 
of greater moment, or which more imperiously demand our attention, 
than those vegetable productions, the culture and general management of 
which form the subject of the following pages. 

The profound author of the <c Wealth of Nations " has remarked, 
that the cc capital employed- in agriculture not only puts in motion a 
** greater quantity of productive labour than any equal capital employed 
" in manufactures, but also, in proportion to the quantity of productive 
" labour which it employs, it adds a much greater value to the annual 
{C produce of the land and labour of the country, while it encreases the 
" real wealth and revenue of its inhabitants." Vol. II. p. 53, 8vo. edit. 
This observation, though justly applicable to agriculture in general, ac- 
quires additional force from the growing importance of the particular 
branch, which it is attempted to elucidate in the following work ; from 
the perusal of which the Editor ventures to detain the reader for a short 
time, by requesting his attention to a few considerations, relative to the 
growth of Hemp, as well as to the manner in which we have hitherto been 

b supplied* 



ii 



INTRODUCTION. 



supplied, that could not, with propriety, be blended with the practical 
intelligence, which he has endeavoured to collect and to concentrate. 

It is obvious to the most common observer, that not a few indispen- 
sable articles in the rigging of vessels are manufactured from Hemp ; and 
since the naval power of Britain has risen to an extent unparallelled in 
the records of history, her consumption has so far exceeded the - amount 
of her growth, that it is only by annual importations, proportionably 
great, that she has hitherto been able to supply the progressive demands 
of her navy. 

The rated value of imported Hemp (as stated in the account of im- 
ports printed by order of the House of Commons), was, at the com- 
mencement of 1807, about ,,£600,000 per annum, which amount, Mr. 
Arthur Young remarks, indicates 60,000 acres, at ^lO per acre. This 
supply has hitherto been derived principally from Russia ; whose cultiva- 
tors have been enabled to furnish British merchants with Hemp at a price 
so moderate, that, after the expences of freight and charges of merchan- 
dize had been defrayed, it came to the consumer at a cheaper rate than 
if it had been grown in Britain. The cause of this superior cheapness has, 
in a respectable periodical work,* been well assigned, viz. that lands in 
Russia are not " so fully occupied, either by inhabitants or by superior 
te crops, as to be raised in value above what this commodity would repay 
? to the cultivator;" while, in Britain, "the rent of land, with the 
? c price of labour, and the operation of taxes of various descriptions, 
<e when added together, raised the price of the native production to more 
" than an equality with that of the imported commodity," — notwith- 
standing the legislature have offered a liberal bounty (3d. per stone) with 
the view of increasing its cultivation. 



* The Literary Panorama, Vol. III. p. 907. 



But, 



INTRODUCTION. 



But, in consequence of the cessation of all our commercial inter- 
course with the northern powers of Europe, and particularly with Russia, 
we are, from the vast increase of our navy, placed in a situation that will 
demand a proportionably great supply of Hemp, without the possibility of 
procuring it through the usual channels. Hence the cultivation of that 
plant, as well as of such vegetables as may be raised by way of substi- 
tutes for it, in our own country and its dependencies, becomes the more 
necessary. Not to mention the probability of having no supply from our 
North-American colonies, particularly Canada (where the experiment, 
from mismanagement, has already failed), and also that which may per- 
haps be hereafter obtained from our settlements in New Holland ; — our 
exigencies — our very safety as a free and independent nation — require 
large and immediate supplies, — commensurate supplies, which can only be 
obtained, either by an immediate extension of its culture in this highly 
favoured island, or by availing ourselves of the Hemp, or vegetables raised 
as substitutes for it, in our East Indian possessions. 

I. With regard to the native growth of Hemp, although the recent 
vast importations of corn sufficiently indicate the inadequacy of our har- 
vests to feed our growing population, and consequently may seem to im- 
ply that no soil ought to be diverted to any other crop, which may be ad- 
vantageously appropriated to the culture of grain - 3 — yet there are circum- 
stances and soils, the nature of which, when impartially considered, will 
more than counterbalance this apparent objection. 

Adverting to the present eventful situation of Britain, since her in- 
tercourse and connection with Russia have been discontinued, Lord So- 
merville, in his address at the last December meeting of the Smithfield 
Club, made the following remarks, which are so appropriate to the pre- 
sent subject, that we conceive no apology can be necessary for their in- 
fo 2 sertion. 



INTRODUCTION. 



sertion. — " I cannot," said his Lordship, " help acknowledging the pro- 
" priety of confining the business of the present meeting, as much as 
« possible, to its original objects ; yet must beg leave to divert the at- 
" tention of the land-owners present, for a moment, to the great impor- 
" tance of supplying our navy with Hemp, the importation of which from 
" the Baltic is now unhappily interdicted : and although an excellent sub- 
<e stitute is known in the Bengal Sunn Hemp, should this hereafter fail 
(C supplying the wants of our navy, I trust, that as hemp is proved to be 
" an excellent preparation for a wheat crop, and to interfere little with 
ts the established system of husbandry upon strong soils, except in the 
" growth of beans, for which it must be substituted, that the land- 
" owners will be found ready to forward the views of Government, in 
" raising this most essential article upon our own soils, by relinquishing 
" the restrictions in their leases against the growth of a vegetable, which 
" is now proved by experience not to exhaust the soil more than other 
" crops, when not left to ripen its seed." 

In addition to these valuable remarks of the Noble Agriculturist, it 
is worthy of note, that Hemp is stated to possess the excellent property of 
expelling caterpillars from cabbage-plantations ; and, on this account, it 
has been recommended as a certain preventive of the depredations com- 
mitted by those vermin, that all the borders of the ground, where it is 
intended to plant cabbages, be sown with Hemp j and, however the 
vicinity may be infested by caterpillars, the grand inclosure (it is affirmed) 
will be found to be perfectly free from them. Where tenants, therefore, 
are restricted by special covenants in their leases from sowing Hemp-crops, 
it may nevertheless be worth their while to make the above experiment 
on those borders of their fields, which would otherwise lie perhaps un- 
cultivated : and if this practice, being proved to be successful, were ge- 
nerally 



INTRODUCTION. 



1 



nerally to obtain, an important addition might thus (almost impercep- 
tibly) be made to our native growth of Hemp. 

Supposing, however, that it should be still found inconvenient or 
otherwise unadvisable to adopt the suggestion of Lord Somerville, there 
are sufficient waste lands which might be advantageously reclaimed and 
appropriated to the culture of Hemp. It is, indeed, a peculiar property 
of this plant, that it is <c capable of being cultivated wherever the soil 
" furnishes the general conveniences of human life. This natural pro- 
" duction does not require the heats of the equator to ripen it, as some 
" fruits do ; neither is it confined to the regions of the north. The culti- 
* e vationof it is attended by no peculiar difficulties; nor does it require 
" uncommon knowledge or skill in those who engage in its production." 
— Of the waste lands above alluded to, not a small portion consists of 
bogs ; and Mr. A. Young has recorded an instance of a singularly 
abundant crop, from a peat-bog ; which being noticed in p. 4 1 of the fol- 
lowing work,we shall here only give a brief extract of his forcible reasoning 
on this subject. " That it is possible," he observes,* f to make the bogs 
te of these kingdoms produce all and more than all the Hemp that can be 
" wanted, I have not the smallest doubt : . . . . and it is not surpris- 
w ing that they should yield Hemp, when it is a well known fact, that 
" they will produce great crops of almost every plant that is ever com- 
" mitted to them, — potatoes, cabbages, rape-seed, hops, wheat, oats, 
" grass, &c. These wastes exist, and are not at present of any value 
f but for fuel: they would produce Hemp." 

It were, indeed, a f* consummation most devoutly to be wished 
" for," that some at least of these wastes were reclaimed for this impor- 
tant 



* Annals of Agriculture, Vol. Iv. p. 325. 



vi 



INTRODUCTION. 



tant, this national object : and it is with peculiar pleasure that we record 
he very recent liberality of several public spirited individuals of North 
Wales, who have subscribed considerable sums towards defraying the 
expense of raising Hemp-crops on some of the Welch waste lands. If 
the limits, necessarily prescribed to a Preface, would admit, we could 
add many cogent arguments for attempting the native growth of Hemp : 
but we forbear to multiply needless proofs, convinced that every principle 
of patriotism and of interest (often a more powerful incentive to duty 
than the love of one's country) combines most imperiously to require, 
that Britons should, in this instance at least, concur in their efforts to 
render " Britain independent of commerce." 

II. With respect to the probability of obtaining from India supplies 
of Hemp, or of vegetables whose fibres may be advantageously employed 
as substitutes for Hemp, it may be proper to state, for the reader's infor- 
mation, that, in a letter to the Court of Directors of the East-India Com- 
pany,* the Lords of his Majesty's most Honorable Privy Council for Trade 
and Foreign Plantations, recommended to the Court to encourage, as 
much as possible, the growth of strong Hemp in such parts of their de- 
pendencies in India, as might be best suited to the production of that ar- 
ticle : in reply to which, the Court, on the 23d of the same month, in- 
formed their Lordships, that they would take the needful measures for ac- 
complishing the object of their Lordships' wishes. 

Hemp is not altogether unknown in India ; but its properties are not 
sufficiently understood. It is at present cultivated for the purpose of ob- 
taining an intoxicating drug. The substance of which the Natives make 
their cordage, fishing-nets, &c. is obtained from a plant called by the 
Country name of Sunn (the Crotolaria Juncea of Linnaeus), and is prepar- 
ed 

* Dated February 4, 1803. 



1NTH0DUCTI0N. 



v ii- 



ed in a manner different from the Hemp in Europe. With the view of 
ascertaining whether this article was capable of being brought into use as 
a substitute for Hemp, the Board of Trade at Bengal were desirous, that 
a quantity of it should be procured, prepared after the European method ;. 
but the Natives were not inclined to depart from their established usage. 
A difference of opinion also arose between the Board and Mr. James 
Frushard, as to which of these methods was best calculated to give the 
requisite degree of strength to the fibre. 

Upon referring to the authorities of the first writers on the subject, it 
appears that they are far from being in unison : it is therefore obvious, that 
in India this can only be ascertained, either as to Hemp or Sunn, by a 
course of experiments and making trials of the various methods that have 
been laid down, under the sanction of those who are supposed to be the 
mobt conversant with the subject. To point out these modes, and to af- 
ford the means of contrasting them with each other, as also with the mode, 
practised in India, is one of the objects of the present Work. 

In doing this, I have consulted the most approved authorities. At 
the head of these I consider M. Du Hamel du Monceau, of the Royal 
Academy of Sciences at Paris, Fellow of the Royal Society of London, 
and Inspector General of the French Marine ; and M. Marcandier, Ma- 
gistrate of Bourges. 

M. Du Hamel's work is entitled Traite de la Fabrique des Manoeuvres 
pour les Vaisseaux, on VArt de la Corderie perfectionne, Paris, Quarto, 
1747. This work is so extremely scarce, that Mills, in the fifth volume 
of his Practical Husbandry, says, the author was not able to procure for 
him a single copy in all Paris ; he was therefore indebted to his Patron, 
the Right Honorable James Stuart Mackenzie, for the loan of it from the 
library of the late Earl of Bute. I have also to express my acknowledg- 
ments to the President and Fellows of the Royal Society, for the use of a 

copy, 



Vlll 



INTRODUCTION. 



copy, which was presented to the Society by M. Du Hamel on its first 
publication. 

The other quotations are from a translation of Marcandier's Treatise 
on Hemp, octavo, 1764. 

Chambers's Dictionary of Arts and Sciences, by Dr. Rees. 
The Encyclopaedia Britannica. 

A tract called England's Improvement, and seasonable Advice to 
Gentlemen Farmers, &c. how to cultivate Hemp and Flax, octavo, 1691. 

An Essay on the European Method of cultivating and managing 
Hemp and Flax, by George Sinclair, Esq. Edinburgh, 1797. 

A Manuscript Statement of the Mode of cultivating Hemp and Flax 
in Russia, Prussia, and Poland, by James Durno, Esq. the British Consul 
at Memel. 

The Mode of cultivating and dressing Hemp, by the Abbe Brulles, 
printed by order of the Lords of the Committee of Council for Trade and 
Foreign Plantations, quarto, 1790. 

Mills's Practical Husbandry, 5 vols, octavo, 1792- 

The Complete English Farmer, 8vo», 1771 ; and quarto edition, 1807. 

An Essay on Hemp and Flax, by A. M'Donald, Surveyor, and 
Raiser and Dresser of Flax, octavo, Edinburgh, 1784. 

Instructions for the Culture and Preparation of Hemp in Canada, in 
a Letter to the Lords of his Majesty's Council for Trade and Foreign 
Plantations, dated 17th of June, 1802, by John Taylor, Esq. 

The Agricultural Reports of the Counties of Suffolk and Lincoln, 
&c. published by the Board of Agriculture in 1797 and 1799. 

The various particulars of information selected from these authorities 
I have digested and arranged under separate heads ; by which it will be 
readily seen, wherein they accord or differ in the modes they have recom- 
mended. 



INTRODUCTION. 



ix 



mended. In" the instances where they have quoted from each other in sup- 
port of the same practice, I have, to avoid unnecessary repetitions, given 
only the original. I fear, however, it will be found, particularly in what 
relates to the Sunn, that I have not been altogether able to avoid this de- 
fect. In the documents to which I have referred, it would have been dif- 
ficult, from the manner in which the subject is treated, to have selected 
the passages that relate to any specific head, without at the same time 
combining them with reasonings that were equally connected with others : 
I have, therefore, in such cases, (which are but few,) preferred repeating 
such observations, rather than ha2ard the leaving any head indistinct 
This, in one respect, will be attended with an advantage, as the reader, 
who may be disposed to consult the Work for information on any particular 
point, may in general rest satisfied, that he will find every thing that is 
applicable to the subject, recorded under the head to which it has an im- 
mediate reference. 

It only remains to add, that the work is divided into two parts ; 
in the first of which the articles are considered as Productions of the 
Soil ; and in the second, it has been the author's endeavour to set forth the 
subsequent preparation which is requisite, in order to render them 
merchantable. 



Since the present work was printed off, the Editor has been favoured 
with some important communications on the subject of cultivating Hemp, 
by the Right Hon. Lord Somerville, whose assiduous attentions to the 
country's best interests are too well known to require the meed of praise 
from his pen. These interesting articles are given in the Appendix. 

March 12, 1808. 

c 



DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER. 

Plate I. to face page 9 

II 10 

III 10 

IV '206 

V 270 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



PART r. 

Page 

Description of the Hemp-plant 1 

Hemp-seed, constituent parts of, described ib. 2 

Process of Hemp-seed through the different stages of germination 2,3 

Description of the stem and leaves 4, 5 

Distinctive characters of male and female Hemp o, 6, 9, 19 

Flowers of male and female Hemp described 6 

Fruit or seed, natural appearances of 7, 8 

Description of Plate I . . . 9 

-of Plate II 10 

of Plate III , 11 

Botanical description of the Plant ib. 12 

Roots of the Hemp-plant, appearances of 13 

Soil and Culture suited to it ib. 14 

Uses of the Oil expressed from Hemp-seed 15 

Appearance of the Seed, viewed through the medium of a Microscope . . 16, 17 

Hemp-bark, external and internal, described 17, IS 

Hemp cultivated in Bengal for its narcotic qualities 20 

Vegetable substances used in Bengal, in lieu of Hemp 21 

Phool-sunn, a substitute for Hemp, described 22 

Boggy.swin, description of ib. 

Ghore-sunn, botanical account of ib. 23 

Paut-plants, substitutes for Hemp, described 23 



x 'i CONTENTS. 

Page 

Culture of Hemp at Bombay 24 

Caleaee, a species of Nettle, cultivated at Sumatra, in lieu of Hemp 25 

Ganja, a species of Hemp, cultivated by the Malays for its narcotic properties ib. 

Vegetables substituted for Hemp on the Island of Neas ib. 

Fibres of the Ejoo used at Sumatra for makingRopes, &c 26 

Hemp, where grown 27, 2S 

Soils peculiarly suited to its Growth 29 

In England ib. 31, 33 

In Italy 30, 32 

In the North of Europe .". 31 

Situation, proper for Hemp-fields , 33 

Quality of Hemp, dependent upon the richness of Soil 35 

Soil used for raising Hemp in Bengal 36, 37 

Sunn, a substitute for Hemp, in Bengal, Soils proper for 38 

How reared, in the District of Dacca ib. 39 

' at Jungypore 39 

Ghore-sunn, a substitute for Hemp, its Culture 40 

Phool-Sunn, a substitute for Hemp, its culture ib. 

Drained-bogs and newly broken up lands, well calculated for Hemp-crops. . . 41 

Method of cultivating Hemp 43 

Preparation of the Soil, according to Du Hamel ib. 46 

Good ploughing indispensably requisite 46, 47, 50 

Quantity of Manure necessary 48 

Suffolk mode of cultivating Hemp ib. 

Lincolnshire method 49 

Rotation of Crops proper for Hemp 50 

Manure most proper for Hemp 51 

Mode of cultivating Hemp in Bengal 52 

1 Sunn, at Benares 54 

at Malda . 55 

. ' ■ at Commercolly 56, 63 



CONTENTS. x \' n 

Page 

Mode of cultivating Sunn, at Hurriaul 63 

— — at Hurripaul 67 

« at Rungpore 53 

Culture of Hemp in the Dacca District ib. 60 

Mode of cultivating Ghore-Sunn, at Jungypore 61 

■ i r — ; ■• ■ at Keerpoy, &c '. . 62 

Method of Cultivating Hemp at Bombay 63, 64 

Mode of ascertaining the quality of Hemp-seed , 65 

Properties essential to good Seed ib. 66 

Choice of Seed , 66, 67 

New Seed, or Seed of the preceding year's growth always preferable 68 

Best method of packing and conveying Hemp-seed to India 69 

Quantity of Hemp-seed, per acre, to be sown -70, 7.1 

of Sunn-seed sown in the Province of Bengal 72 

■ in the Dacca District 73 

— — of Phool-sunn sown at Commercolly 75 

of Boggy-sunn sown in the Dacca District ib 

Best time for sowing Hemp-seed in England ,. 76 

The practice, in this respect, in the North of Europe 77 

The season for sowing regulated by the quality of the Soil 78, 79 

Early sowing preferable 80 

Season for sowing Hemp in Bengal 80, SI 

■ Sunn in Bengal 82 

■ — • in the Dacca District ib. 83 

— — — — — on the Coromandel Coast 85 

Directions for sowing Hemp in England 86 — 90 

The State of the Weather, a circumstance to be particularly regarded. . . 88, 89 

Instructions for sowing Hemp in Bengal 91 

c Sunn in the Bengal and the Dacca District ...... ib. 92 

Subsequent method of Culture 93 

Hoeing ib. 



xiv CONTENTS. 

Page 

Subsequent method of Culture. — Weeding . 94, 95, 97 

Watering of Hemp in certain situations 9G T 91 

Weeding of Hemp in Bengal 9S 

of Sunn, in Bengal and the Dacca District ib. 

Indications of the Ripeness of Hemp seed 99 — 102, 110, 111 

Manner of gathering Hemp when ripe . ] 03 

Proper season for pulling Hemp 104 — 106 

Cautions to be observed in pulling Hemp 107, 108 

Instructions for making up Hemp into Bundles 112 

Hemp, when gathered in Bengal 113 

Sunn, Avhen ripe for gathering ib. 

Mode of gathering it in Bengal. ib. 114 

* . — in the Dacca District 115 

Method of gathering the Phool-sunn 116, 1 17 

Mode of procuring the Seed 118 

Whether sweating improves the quality of the Seed 119 

Expedients for completing the Maturity of Hemp-seed 120 

Best methods of separating the Seed 122 

Mode of obtaining the Seeds of the Sunn-plant in Bengal 124 

Average produce of Hemp 126 — 1 28 

of Sunn, in Bengal 129 

*• ■■ ' ■■■ in the Dacca District. ] 30 

Profit on the Cultivation of Hemp 133 

Estimate of profit in England by the Abbe Brulles ...» ib. 

in Suffolk 135— 13S 

in Lincolnshire 1 38 — 1 4 1 

• in the County of Norfolk 141-^143 

■ — on the Cultivation of Hemp in the North of Europe .... 144 

Estimate of the Produce and Expense of an Acre of Land cultivated with 

Hemp in Nova Scotia 145, 146 

Estimate of the Profit from cultivating Sunn in Bengal, compared with 

that arising from other staple Productions of the Country 146 — 149 

Similar estimate of Profit in the Dacca District 150 — 153 



CONTENTS. xv 

PART II. Page 
The method of Preparation required to render Hemp and Sunn mer- 
chantable 157 

On Drying, preparatory to Steeping, in Europe .ib. — 160 

■ * • — — — in Bengal 164 

Management of Sunn, previously to watering, in Bengal 162 — 170 

— in the Dacca District HI 

The process of watering, or retting Hemp 172 

Norfolk method ib, 

Suffolk mode 173, 174, 176 

Dew-retting of Hemp described 175 

Qualities of the water to be preferred 177 — 179 

Judicious experiments of the Agricultural Society of Tours 180 — 184 

Process recommended by the Abbe Brulles 185 

New process of steeping Hemp described ib. 186 

M. DuHamel's mode of steeping 186 — 192 

Mr. Taylor's instructions for steeping 193 

Influence of watering on the fibre of Indian Hemp ib. 

Method of rotting Hemp under snow, as practised on the northern parts of 

the Continent 19-* 

Bengal mode of watering Hemp ib. 

Sunn 195, 196 

Process of Watering Sunn adopted in the Dacca District 197 — 203 

Livonian method of watering Hemp described 204 

Relative proportion of time requisite for watering Hemp, and the Sunn and 

Paut-plants 205, 206 

Delicate management requisite in watering the Sunn 206 — 210 

On the drying of Hemp after watering 214 

Suffolk method ib. 

Lincolnshire process 215 

Practice in the North of Europe ib. 216 

Instructions for conducting the process of drying Hemp.. , 216, 220 

Bengal mode of drying Hemp 221 

" 1 —— the Sunn-plant ib. 22%_ 



xv j CONTENTS. 

Page 

Russian method of drying Hemp 223, 224 

Modes of separating the Fibre from the Stems 226 

Description of the implement employed 227, 228 

Instructions for conducting the operation of breaking Hemp . . * ib. — 234 

Peeling of Hemp described 236 

French mode of peeling Hemp 237, 238 

Method of separating the Fibre from the Reed recommended by the Abb6 

Brulles 239—242 

M. Marcandier's Hint for a second Watering 243—246 

Bengal mode of separating the Fibres from the Stems of Hemp and Sunn 247, 248 
Method of separating the Fibres from the Stems of the Sunn-plant in the 

Dacca District . 248 — 258 

Process of Scutching Hemp described 259 

Advantages of Scutching 261 

Objections to the method removed 263 — 265 

Description of an improved Scutch 266 

Beating, or Beetling of Hemp, described 268 

Method of Heckling Hemp 270 et set. 



APPENDIX, 

Of additional Facts and Observations on the Culture of Hemp. 

No. I. A Letter from the Rt. Hon. Lord Somerville, on the importance 
and practicability of producing a sufficiency of English Grown 
Hemp, together with an Estimate of Expenses 279 

II. A Communication on the Culture of Hemp, as now practised at 

Crowland in Lincolnshire, adressed to Lord Somerville by Mr. 
Wing, Land Agent to His Grace the Duke of Bedford . . 282 

III. A Letter from Mr. Saunders of Bridport, Devon, to John Bridge, 

Esq., of Winford Farm, communicated by Mr. Bridge to 
Lord Somerville ' ... 284 



AN ESSAY 

ON THE 

! \ 

CULTURE AJVJD PREPARATION 

\ 

O F 

HEMP, &c. 



PARTI. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE HEMP PLANT:* 
CANNABIS SATIVA— LINN. 

The Hemp-Seed (Plate I. a), or fruit of the Hemp-Plant, 
is an oval grain, almost round. At one of the extremities there is a 
cicatrix, being the place where it was attached to the parent-plant : 
the other terminates in an obtuse point. This seed has on one side 
a ridge, which rises but very little, yet sufficiently to make it appear 

' . b somewhat 

* Translated from the French of M. du Hamel du Monceau, Inspecteur de 
la Marine dans tous les Ports et Havres de France. 



2 



ON HEMP. 



somewhat flattened. In general, Hemp-Seed is composed of a 
kernel, covered with an envelope, which is hard and brittle, with- 
out being ligneous; of a pearl-grey colour, inclining to brown. 
On pressing it between the teeth, on the side where the ridge rises, 
it easily separates into two parts, resembling the bowls of a spoon 
(b) ; and the envelope being removed, we perceive another mem- 
brane, which is the immediate covering of the kernel. The kernel 
(cj, which is white, is composed of two oval bodies, thickish, con- 
vex on the outside, and flat where they join each other. These are 
generally called the lobes ; on the ridge of which we see a small 
long, rounded, and recurved body, which extends throughout the 
whole length of the seed, and is called the germ. 

Those who are acquainted with the anatomy of plants know, 
that the lobes are a kind of mamma, which, having imbibed the 
humidity of the earth communicate to the young plant, which is 
attached to them by the germ, a nourishment fit to make it vege- 
tate till it can itself obtain its proper food by means of the roots which 
it pushes into the ground. 

It is also understood, that the rounded and recurved body, 
extending the whole length of the seed, and commonly called the 
germ, is the radicle or young root ; and that the rudiments of the 
stalk, which are called the plumule, are inclosed within the two lobes. 

Having stated these preliminaries, let us attend a seed through 
its various stages of germination. Let the seed be deposited in 
moist earth, or between two pieces of sponge kept constantly moist- 
ened 



ON HEMP. 



3 



ened (for water alone is sufficient to cause every kind of seed to 
germinate). As soon as the lobes begin to imbibe the humidity that 
surrounds them, they swell, and burst open the envelopes in which 
they are inclosed, and exhibit to view the radicle (d), which im- 
mediately pushes downwards into the earth. The plant soon after 
makes its appearance above ground ( e. f. g. h.J, crowned with the 
lobes, which are still covered with their envelopes. The lobes pro- 
gressively spread, and, becoming thinner in proportion, form in 
a short time, oval, longish, fleshy leaves : these are by botanists 
termed the seminal leaves (i). 

Hitherto the stem has not made its appearance. Every part 
yet produced by the seed, both in and above ground, belongs to the 
radicle. At length we see a small stalk, and two small longish 
leaves (k) come forth from between the seminal leaves. The plumule 
then begins to shew itself, with the rudiment of the stalk, which 
by degrees becomes longer and thicker. The leaves which it bears, 
likewise, grow larger. From the origin of these two opposite leaves 
two others spring forth, which are supported by a small stalk ; and 
these new leaves cut the two first at right angles : the stalk which 
bears them grows longer, and the leaves increase in size. From, 
between these leaves we see a new stalk spring forth, or rather a 
continuation of that which had already made its appearance. This 
bears new leaves, and so on in succession, till the plant attains its 
full height (I). 

B 2 



4 O N H E M P. 

If we now examine the root, we shall find one large central 
fibre, white and woody, from which smaller ones branch out in 
every direction. 

Every grain of seed produces only one stem, which rises to the 
height of five or six feet.* The stalk is channelled, and hollow in 
the inside, where we find a white, soft, medullary substance. 
This substance is enveloped by a very tender pipe, which appears to 
be chiefly composed of a cellular texture, and of some longitudinal 
fibres. This is the part which is called the reed of the Hemp, or 
more commonly the boon. It is covered with a green bark, hairy, 
and rough to the touch, which is formed of a great number of 
woody fibres, extending the whole length of the stem : they do 
not appear to be reticulated, but are placed parallel to each other, 
and united by means of the cellular texture. 

If we examine these longitudinal fibres by the microscope, we 
discover, that they are bundles of fibrils, or fibres of an extreme 
fineness : we likewise perceive, that these fibrils are twisted spirally. 
After macerating the fibres for some time, these twisted fibrils may 
be stretched out to a considerable length ( m). 

The 

* Near Bischwiller, in Alsace, are found Hemp-Plants, which at the bot- 
tom part of the stalk are more than three inches in diameter, and rise to a height of 
more than twelve feet. The strongest man is unable to pull them up by the 
jroots. 



IP * - 

ON HEMP. 5 

The leaves grow on opposite foot-stalks, two and two, and are 
at their origin always accompanied by two stipules, which is the 
name botanists give to the two leaflets which are found at the origin 
of the leaves of many species of plants. The leaves (Plate II. A,) 
are divided as far as the foot-stalks into four, five, or a greater num- 
ber of narrow segments, oblong, pointed, deeply indented in the 
margin, of a darker green colour on the upper than on the under 
side ; rough, deeply furrowed above, and ridged beneath. 

The flowers and fruit (seed) grow upon separate plants. That 
which bears the flowers (and is called the Flowering Hemp, Can- 
nabis jlorifera Off ; Cannabis erratica, C. B. P. ; Cannabis foemina, 
J. B. ; Cannabis sterilis, Dod. Pempt ; and generally Female 
Hemp) should be called Barren or Male Hemp ; because it bears 
the fecundating dust, without which the seed which grows on the 
other plants would not arrive at maturity, or at least would not vege- 
tate when sown. 

The plant which bears the fruit (seed), and which is called 
Cannabis fructifera Off ; Cannabis sativa, C. B. P. ; Cannabis Mas, 
J. B. ; Cannabis fcecunda, Dod. Pempt ; and commonly esteemed 
the Male Hemp, should be called the Fructiferous, Fruit-bearing, 
or Female Hemp ; because it is this plant which, assisted by the 
fecundation which it receives from the male, bears seed capable of 
reproducing individuals of both sexes. 

In general -the male Hemp (BE) is smaller, and all the parts 
of it more delicate, than those of the female. The stem, which 

is 



i 



£ ON HEMP. 

is single, divides itself at the extremities into several branches, 
which terminate in slender delicate spikes (C), ending in a point ; 
whilst the female Hemp, on the contrary, terminates in tufts of 
leaves of a considerable size (Plate III. D J, among which we find 
the seed (E)\ so that the male and female plants may be distin- 
guished at a considerable distance. 

The flowers (Plate II. F) of the male Hemp grow from the 
axillag of the small longish leaves (GJ, near the summit of the 
stem. The flowers are disposed in clusters; in general two clusters 
hang from each axilla, and each cluster bears nine or ten flowers. 

Before the flowers expand, the flower- buds (H) resemble little 
oval boxes, indented and divided like a melon ; and these divisions 
are the more apparent, as the ridge is greener than the part indent- 
ed, which is of a whitish colour. 

When the flowers are expanded, they consist of a calix (K), 
of a pale green, which becomes purplish as they fade. This calix 
is entire, although divided almost to the base into five parts. It 
contains no petals, but five stamina (L), which are attached to the 
bottom of the flower by short and very slender filaments (M J. 

The antheras (N) are thick, of a bright yellow, and divided 
into two longish cells, full of a very fine powder, the grains of 
which, when examined with the microscope, appear to be round, 
and resemble a heap of small shot. This powder probably is, or con- 
tains, the fecundating matter.* 

* Mr. Bernard de Jussieu, having scattered some of this dust on water, 



ON HEMP. 



7 



The fruit, or seed, grows in great abundance along the stem 
of the female Hemp. From the axillae of the leaves there arise 
small branches (Plate III. O ), which bear a very great number of 
small leaves (P) and stipules f££}. In the axillas of these small 
leaves and stipules we find the seeds in the following order : — Be- 
twixt two seeds, growing at the axilla of a leaf, there arises a small 
and frequently very short stalk, which is terminated by two leaves ; 
and in the axilla of each of these two leaves, we find two other 
seeds and a small stalk. These seeds are not preceded by any 
flower. A membranaceous calix, shaped like a monk's cowl, 
hairy, and of a greenish-yellow colour, and terminated by a long 
point, encloses the pistils, the base of which becomes the seed, 
and is terminated by two whitish filaments. 

It is probable, that the name of Male Hemp has been given to 
the plants which bear the fruit, merely because they are larger and 
stronger than the others : but this will not be deemed a sufficient 
reason by those who have observed, that among animals, and espe- 
cially in the genus of birds, there are many species, the males of 
which are considerably smaller than the females. I trust, therefore, 
it will be readily allowed, that we act with propriety in giving the 
name of Female Hemp to the plants which produce the seed. But 

that 

and placed it under the focus of the microscope, observed a great number of 
grains which opened and diffused an oily liquor, that floated on the water without 
mixing withjt, i 



8 



ON HEMP. 



that the plants which produce only the flowers are the males, will 
not, perhaps, be so readily admitted by such of our readers as are 
unacquainted with the observations made relative to this part of the 
vegetable economy. These observations, however, prove beyond 
a doubt, that there are two sexes in plants, as well as animals. It 
has been ascertained by experiment, that the co-operation of the two 
sexes is necessary to give fecundity and the power of reproduction 
to the seed of plants ; in the same manner as, in the feathered race, 
the egg of the duck and hen, for example, will not be fecund, or 
capable of producing a duckling or chicken, without the co-opera- 
tion of the drake or cock. But it may be necessary to observe, that, 
to enable the male-plant to impregnate the female, it is not requisite 
that they should touch or be close to one another ; for it is very pro- 
bable, that it is the dust contained in the stamens that conveys the 
fecundation. This dust is very fine, and extremely light, so that 
the least agitation of the air wafts it in every direction : and there is 
so prodigious a quantity of it, that the whole of the surrounding 
air must be filled with it, when at the proper season the capsules 
which contain it burst open. If but one particle of this dust be 
deposited in the proper organ, one of the seeds will thereby be 
fecundated : and it is, perhaps, owing to the want of these grains 
of dust, that so many abortive seeds are found under the female 
Hemp plants. It would seem, that Nature had formed the male 
Hemp for no other purpose but to produce this fecundating dust ; 
for as soon as the flowers have blown, and shed this dust, the male 
stalks wither and perish. 

At 



PI. J. 




ON HEMP, 



9 



At the time when the fecundating dust is shed, the fruits or 
seeds are not yet formed ; and therefore the female stalks subsist a 
considerable time longer than the male, and do not begin to decay, 
till the seeds have attained full maturity. 

It is not without sufficient reason, then, that we have resolved 
to change the names which custom has assigned to the plant which 
bears the flowers, and to that which bears the seed ; and we shall, 
accordingly, call the floriferous plants the Male, and the fructiferous 
the Female. 

Hemp has a penetrating aromatic smell, which is very disagree- 
able to many persons. 



PLATE I. 

Refers to the Germination of the Plants. 
a — the Hemp-seed. 

b — the Shell which encloses the Kernel* 
c — the Kernel. 

d — the Radicle coming forth from between the Lobes, 
e, /, g, h, — the same in different stages of its growth. 
i — the seminal Leaves. 

k — the Leaves of the Plant beginning to appear ; and the lateral 

Roots beginning to shoot out. 
/— a Stalk of Hemp, in a more advanced Stage of Growth. 

C 272 — a 



10 



ON HEMP. 



m—z small Piece of the Bark of the Hemp-plant, macerated, dis- 
sected, and viewed through the Microscope. 



PLATE II. 
The second Plate represents the Male Hemp. 
A — represents a detached Leaf with its Stipules. 

B, .B— represent the Top of the Stem of a Male Hemp-Plant. 

C, F, G — represent the Clusters of Flowers, the Leaflets, and the 

Stipules, which grow on that Stalk. 
H — anunexpanded Flower-bud. 
/—•a Flower-bud, beginning to expand, 

K, K — full blown or expanded Flowers, exposing to view the Sta- 
mina, L. 
My N — a Stamen. 
M—the Filament. 
N — the Anthera. 

PLATE III. 

The third Plate represents the upper Part of a Stalk of Female 
Hemp. 

D, E, O, P, £— the Clusters of Seed-buds, the Stipules, and the 

Leaves. 



Description 



4 



f 



ON HEMP. j j 

DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT. 

Hemp (Cannabis sativa, Linn.) is a genus of the Dioecia Pen- 
tandria class. Its characters are these : it is male and female in dif- 
ferent plants. 

The male flowers have a five-leaved concave empalemenr, 
without petals ; but have five short hairy stamina, terminated by- 
oblong square summits. 

The female flowers have permanent empalements of one leaf, 
without petals ; but a small germen, which afterwards becomes a 
globular-depressed seed, inclosed in the empalement. There is but 
one species of this plant. 

Chambers's Dictionary, Art. Hemp. 



Cannabis, in botany, a genus of the Pentandria order, be- 
longing to the Dioecious class of plants, and in the natural method 
ranking under the 53d order, Scabrida. 

The calix of the male is quinque-partite, with no corolla. 

In the female, the calix is monophyllous, entire, and gaping 
at the side. There is no corolla, but two stiles. The fruit is a nut, 
bivalved, within the closed calix. Of this there is but one species, 
the Sativa, 

Encyclopaedia Britamiica, Art. Cannabis, 



Hemp, in botany, Cannabis Sativa. The root is long, and 
comparatively slender, divided into branches, and full of fibres. 

c 2 The 



12 



ON HEM Pi 



The stalk is thick and ridged, or somewhat angular. It grows 
from six to twelve feet in height, and taller in warm than cold climates. 

The leaves are divided into five, in the manner of the fingers ; 
they feel rough, and are notched at the ends. 

It is a plant of the Dioecious class of vegetables. 

The male plants are distinguished from the female in cultiva- 
tion and management of the crop : but an error has very generally 
prevailed in calling the really male plants, (those which afford the 
farina facundans,) the female, and the seed-bearing plant the male.* 
The male is more forward in its growth, and rises to a great- 
er height, by about six inches, than the female, whereby the fe- 
cundating dust or pollen is easily shed on the latter; and the flax, 
or fibres of the male, are much more delicate and fine than those 
of the female. 

Sinclair's Essay. 

Hemp is commonly distinguished into two sorts ; one that 
grows wild, Cannabis silvestris; the other produced by cultivation, 
Cannabis domestica. This latter is of two sexes; the male, fructi- 
fera ; and the female, florifera : but both improperly so called ; for 
it is more natural to call that the female which bears the fruit, than 
the other that bears the flower. The seed and the root of the wild 
hemp are like those of the wild mallow ; the stalks are smaller, 

blacker, 

* DuHamel has set this right. The Abbe Brulles and the Editors of the 
Encyclopaedia Britannica have followed the error. R. W. 



ON HEMP. 



S3 



blacker, more rough, and about a foot and a half in length ; the 
leaves are like those of Hemp raised by cultivation, but more rough, 
and likewise blacker.* 

The root of Hemp produced by cultivation is six inches long, 
or thereabouts, of a whitish colour, ligneous, undivided, and run- 
ning to a point, having fibres only on two lines, diametrically op- 
posite to one another, when it is not straitened for want of room, 
and thick in proportion to the stalk it bears. The stalk is round from 
the root to the first ramification ; it then assumes a quadrangular 
form, and is fluted, hollow, ligneous, covered with a greenish bark, 
composed of filaments, hairy, and rough to the touch. At proper 
distances, this bark is secured from place to place by six small fas- 
tenings, which keep it close to the stem, like so many little nails 
regularly ranged on the circumference of the same circle, and al- 
most equally distant from one another. Its length and thickness are 
various, according to the difference of the soil, of the method of 
cultivation, of the climate, and of the seasons. Some of it rises to 
the height of eight or ten feet, and the stalks look like so many 
little trees : others seem to pine away on the ground, and scarce get 
to the height of two or three feet ; sometimes less. A grain of 
Hemp-seed, sown by itself in a soil that agrees with it, commonly 
produces a stalk very large f and firm, with many branches, and 

looks 

* Nigriore folio, et asperiore. Plin. lib. xx, cap. 23. 
t Of such stalks they make a kind of charcoal, fit to enter into the compo~ 
sition of gunpowder. 



14 



ON HEMP. 



looks like a little tree. * If it is of that sex which produces seed, 
it will yield a great many grains, and those very beautiful ; but, its 
bark being too hard and thick, will not be very fit for manufactur- 
ing. On the contrary, seeds sown in a field that is properly pre- 
pared for the purpose, and where the plants rise close to*each other, 
produce stalks that are straight, smooth, without branches, softer 
and more tender than the former; and the bark of such being 
smooth, fine, and soft, is much valued for several uses. The leaves 
grow in pairs, opposite to one another : they are divided into many 
segments, being narrow, oblong, sharp-pointed, jagged, full of 
veins, of a deep-green colour, rough to the touch, and of a strong 
smell that affects the head. 

The flowers that grow on the female stalk, as it is commonly, 
but erroneously, called, issue from the alas of the leaves, on a pedi- 
cle of four little clusters, lying in the form of a St. Andrew's Cross. 
They have no petals, and consist of five stamina, with yellowish 
summits, in a calix of five leaves of a purple colour without and 
whitish on the inside. These flowers are not followed by any fruit ; 
and on the other hand, the fruit on the stalks that produce it is never 
preceded by any flower. 

Whatever the order of nature maybe in the vegetation of this 
plant, both the male and the female stalks are produced indiscrimi- 
nately 

* Quod ad proceritatem attinet, roseClna agrt Sabini arborum altitudinem 
sequat. Plin. 1. xix, c. 9. 



I 



ON HEMP. j 5 

nately from the grains of seed that grow on the same stalk, and the 
difference cannot be known till they come to blossom. We know 
not, when we sow Hemp, what quantity of either sex will be pro- 
duced, nor which contributes most to the propagation of the plant. 
They cannot, however, be easily distinguished till sixty days after 
they are sown ; but, this observation, hitherto, does not appear to 
have been of any consequence.* 

The fruit grows in a great number of bunches, at the end of 
the stalks and branches which naturally produce^ them. This fruit 
is terminated by a forked style when it is in embryo, and is wrapt 
in a membrane, which secures it till it comes to maturity : then 
the pistillum changes to a roundish grain, forces the membraneous 
capsule, which contains it, to open ; and we then discover a round 
smooth grain, somewhat flattened, and of a shining grey colour, 
containing, under a thin shell, a tender, sweet, oily, white kernel, 

of 



* The time when the Hemp blossoms cannot be easily ascertained ; for it de- 
pends on several circumstances. Sometimes it is not above a foot high. When 
this is the case, the Hemp continues weak, and grows little or nothing at all higher. 
This is sometimes occasioned by great heats, or other unfavourable accidents ; at 
other times it arrives to the height of four or five feet before it blossoms, and grows 
almost as much after. The Hemp which bears the flower commonly gets before 
that which produces the seed, and rises about half a foot above that which bears 
the grain. This superiority in the order of Nature may be well accounted for, 
if it is true, that the powder which issues from the flower serves to convey fertility 
to the grain on the stalks that bear the seed. 



16 



ON HEMP. 



of a strong smell, that intoxicates when it is fresh. This kernel is 
covered with a green pellicle, terminating in a point on the side 
next the germ, which is very singularly situated. 

This grain, which is called Hemp-seed, is no less useful for its 
peculiar qualities, than for those which it has in common with the 
whole plant Its substance, considered as a seed, is soft, fat, oily, 
and gummy ; it ferments, conceives heat, and springs up with 
equal facility. Its pores being large, tender, and flexible, receive 
greedily the impressions of heat and humidity, which transmit to 
them the nutritious juices supplied by a fat, light, and well-labour- 
ed soil. Its fibres, after a quick germination, unfold themselves, 
grow up, and attain strength ; and the gum being the principle of 
their union, supports and preserves them. Besides the use of its oil 
in physic, it is also employed with great advantage in the lamp, and 
in coarse painting. They give a paste made of it to hogs and horses 
to fatten them : it enters into the composition of black soap, the use 
of which is very common in the manufactures of stuffs and felts j 
and it is also used for tanning nets. 

A grain of Hemp-seed, seen by the help of a microscope, pre- 
sents at first a greyish epidermis full of veins, the compartments 
whereof appear like a sort of scales. Under this first cover you see 
a brown olive-coloured bark, extremely smooth on the inside, formed 
of two shells, which separate exactly in the middle, like those of a 
nut : the seam that joins them being quite imperceptible. Under 
a green cover, its kernel,, in the form of a little orange, bears its 

germ,,. 



ON HEMP. 



germ, produced along one of its sides, which makes it look a little 
flatted. When you have taken up this pellicle, you find a white 
kind of matter, consisting of two lobes joined together, which evi- 
dently form a kind of head : these lobes are very distinct, and by 
the germination are made to swell, open, and separate. Its germ, 
which is roundish, bending back along the whole external length 
of the grain^ under the seam which joins the two shells, terminates 
in a point, and forms a kind of tendril which is the only part that 
pierces the ground to form the root. The other end of the germ, 
which lies cqncealed between the two lobes that inclose and preserve 
it, appears like an exceeding fine and delicate sort of lance, which 
is called the feather: from it issue the two leaves that appear first, 
and we may imagine it to be the true principle of its germination 
and life. These two lobes are also changed into two sorts of thick 
green leaves (called by the botanists the seminal leaves) of an oval 
form, but not indented, which serve for a rampart and preservative 
to the springing leaves. The whole of this white matter seems to be 
fat and spongeous, and its pores appear to be no less open than thos e 
of snow : and it is, no doubt, owing to the situation of its germ, 
and the softness of its whole substance, that Hemp-seed, beyond 
any other sort of grain, has so great a disposition to ferment and 
spring up, almost as soon as sown. 

The bark, as it appears upon the stalk, forms a green, knotty, 
rough, or prickly covering to it. The knots of prickles are mere 
excrescences of the gum, of which the whole bark is composed ; 

i 

d but 



I 



18 ON HEMP. 

they have different degrees of force and adhesion. This first super- 
ficial gum serves only to keep the fibres of the Hemp close together, 
and as a kind of mastick, to cover, strengthen, and protect them 
against the inclemency of the air, the dust, and the rain. It dis- 
solves, exfoliates, and breaks, when the bark is watered. 

The inside of the bark, which touches the stem, is smooth, 
soft, and white ; the fibres are very distinct from each other, and 
appear perfect in all their dimensions, by means of the watering just 
mentioned. It was not observed in former times, that the thread 
had its existence in the plant, without any dependence on the opera- 
tions of art ; that the labour is confined to cleaning, dividing, and 
separating the soft fibres of which the bark is composed ; and that 
this bark is a kind of natural ribband or scarf, the threads whereof 
are applied and joined together, lengthways only, by a dirty gluti- 
nous humour, which must absolutely be dissolved and separated, be- 
cause it is equally hurtful to the workmen and the work. The 
threads themselves also consist merely of a gum, but of one which 
is of a different quality from the superficial gum ; they are supple, 
strong, and resist the impressions to which the former give way. 
Every fibre is composed of gummy globules, that are very fine, 
transparent, and bright, when sufficiently cleared from the super- 
ficial gum that surrounds them, and which the microscope shews to 
be of a different sort. All this will appear plain, if you take a few 
fibres from a thread that is thoroughly bleached. The fibres of 
Hemp in this state are nothing different from those of cotton and 

silk, 



ON HEMP. 



19 



silk, which makes it reasonable to consider them as materials of the 
same kind : and it is a convincing proof of this, that, when they 
are mixed and carded together, there appears to be a complete same- 
ness in the whole mixture. 

Marcandier. 



The Hemp-Plants are of two kinds, viz. the male, which 
yields a farina or powdery matter ; and the female which bears the 
seed. The action of the male farina upon the female plant is ne- 
cessary for the production of the seed, and its effects may be pro- 
moted by artificial agitation, at the time when the male plants are 
plucked from amongst the female. 

Taylor's Instructions. 



D 2 



Hemp 



20 



ON HEMP. 



HEMP CULTIVATED IN BENGAL. 

Hemp, Cannabis sativa • Banja in Sanscrit ; Bunga, Bungk, or 
Bang, of the Hindoos; Bang of the Persians; Kinnub of the 
Arabians ; is, no doubt, our own famous plant, now so common 
and useful in Europe. I have, at different times, examined various 
figures and descriptions, as well as the plants reared from Europe 
seed, comparing them with our Indian plant through its various 
stages, and can discover no difference whatever, not even to found 
a variety on. Perhaps few vegetables, so widely diffused over al- 
most every part of the known world, and under the immediate ma- 
nagement of man, have undergone less change. It is perfectly fa- 
miliar to all the nations in India ; I may say, of the warmer parts 
of Asia : yet I cannot discover, that the fibres of the bark have ever 
been employed by them for any purpose. It is cultivated in small 
quantities every where (in India) on account of its narcotic qualities. . 

The leaves of the male plant, and flowers of the female, are 
the parts in most general use. 

I have repeatedly applied for the seeds of all plants reared in 
China, and other countries to the eastward of the Bay of Bengal, as well 
as to almost every part of India we have any communication with, 

for an account of the plants employed to supply materials for cloths 

\ 

and cordage, and for their seeds ; but never could learn, that Can- 
nabis was one of them, nor were its seeds ever sent to me as such. 

Dr. Roxburgh's Essay on Hemp, on Bengal Board of Trade Cons. 
\2th Sept. 1801. 

The 



ON HEMP. 



21 



The Hemp-plant has been cultivated in Bengal from time im- 
memorial, for the purpose of intoxication ; but is never used by the 
natives for cordage or cloth, as in Europe. The plant is called by 
them Garg'a, and the intoxicating preparation made from it, Bang. 

There being no perceptible difference between the European 
and the Bengal plant, there is no doubt that the latter, if duly pre- 
pared, might be applied to every purpose for which the former is 
used, and that it would be equally fit for them : but it would require 
to be cultivated in a different mode from that used by the natives. 

There are many other vegetable substances used by the natives 
for cordage, &c. such as, 

The Murgha . . . — . Aletris Nervosus. 

Kantala Agave Americana. 

Douchy Robinia Cannabina. 

Merty Paut Hibiscus Cannabinus. 

Ulet Cummul Abroma Augusta ; as also 

Coir and. 

Gomuti 



Palms.* 



but the principal, and those by far in the greater use, are, . 

Sunn Crotolaria Juncea. 

Paut Corchorus Olitorius. 

The 



* See Dalrymple's Collection of Voyages in the Southern Ocean; also 
Hortus Amboinensis, vol. i. cap. 12* R..W. 



/ 



22 



ON HEMP. 



The fibre of the Sunn, both for durability and strength, is superior 
to the Paut. 

Mr. Fleming, Bengal Cons. 5th May, 1801. 

Chittagong. — Very little Cannabis saliva is raised. It is 
used in preparing the intoxicating drug, Bang. 

CoMMERCOLLY. — There are two species of Sunn ; the best 
called Phool, the other Boggy. 

The Phool-Sunn. This plant grows about four feet high, and 
produces the strongest, whitest, and most durable kind of Sunn. 

Boggy-Sunn. This plant grows about seven feet high, and 
the Sunn produced therefrom is darker-coloured, and not so strong 
as the Phool-Sunn. 

Malda. — Ganja, Cannabis saliva, grows spontaneously, and 
thrives luxuriantly in many places about here. The Riotts cultivate 
it for Bang. 

Board of Trade Cons. \2thJne, 1801. 

Jungypore. — No article used in this country for cordage is 
the real Hemp cultivated in Europe. 

There are four species of plants cultivated, which produce dif- 
ferent kinds of raw materials, fit for cordage and other uses. The 
first is called by the natives Ghore-Sunn ; and I suppose this to ap- 
proximate the nearest to the Hemp cultivated in Europe, though I 
am by no means certain that it is the same plant.* According to 

the 

* Certainly not. The Ghore-Sunn is the Crotolaria Juncca ; the Hemp is the 
Cannabis sativa of Linnaeus. R. W. 



ON HEMP. 



23 



the best of my recollection, the European Hemp-plant differs in 
appearan.ee from the Ghore-Sunn, in flower, leaf, and seed ; the 
former is male and female in different plants from the same seed ; 
they are cut and pulled separately, and the female plant alone 
affords seed. There does not appear to be any distinction between 
the plants of Ghore-Sunn ; they are all alike in leaf and flower, 
and every plant produces seed. Some of this species is produced 
in the country to the westward of the Cossimbazar river ; but the 
major part of the consumption is imported from Dinagepore, Pur- 
neah, Tirhoot, and other districts in the neighbourhood of the 
latter place. 

The article of this description next in quality to the Ghore- 
Sunn is the Pant or Sanchee-Paat : but as it does not grow to the 
height of above four feet, and shoots out many lateral branches, 
which render the fibres very difficult to be separated from the woody 
parts, it is by no means a profitable article to the landholder, nor 
have I ever observed it cultivated in any considerable plots. It is, 
in general, found in villages, or near the houses of the inhabitants; 
the leaves and tender shoots being used by them as an article of food. 

The third plant producing a species of Hemp is "called by the 
natives Cooch Murden Paqt. 

The fourth description of plant producing Hemp is called 
Amlecah Paat; and this is in the most general use throughout the 
country, for coarse cordage and other purposes, which do not re- 
quire the fine twine produced from the Ghore-Sunn. 

Bengal Board of Trade Consultations , 14th Jan. 1793. 



24 



ON HEMP. 



HEMP CULTIVATED AT BOMBAY. 

There are two kinds of Hemp-plants cultivated in Salsette. The 
first is the Hibiscus Cannabinus* of the botanists. The leaves of it 
and the young fruit are used as an article of food, and the fibrous 
part is employed for cordage, &c. 

The second kind of Hemp-plant cultivated at Salsette is of the 
genus Crotolaria. This is what was carried to England by Capt. 
Isaake of the Skelton Castle, and what is most esteemed for its 
strength and durability. I do not know if this be the same plant 
with the Sunn of Bengal. -f- 

The Court of Directors seem to think, that the Hemp of this 
country is derived from the same plant with that of Europe ; for 
they propose sending out seed to improve our Hemp. The fact is, 
that the plants of the two countries are individuals of different 
genera,^ and differ from each other in all their characters. We 
have here the Cannabis, or Hemp-plant of Europe ; but little use is 

made 

* Mr. Fleming, (see page 21,) calls this the Merty Paut of the Bengalese, 
and is probably correct ; for, the supposed Hemp, brought from Bombay by Cap- 
tain Isaacke of the Skelton Castle, in 1802, had a very different appearance from 
the Bengal Sunn. 

f The Sunn of Bengal is the Crotolaria Juncea of Linnseus. 

% Meaning the plants from which the natives in India make their ropes, fish- 
ing-nets, &c. 



ON HEMP. 25 

made of it, but for the purpose of intoxication. I am told, that it 
is sometimes employed in Malabar for making Hemp for fishing- 
nets. 

Dr. Helenus Scott to the Bombay Government, Zlst May, 1803. 



SUMATRA. 

Caloaee is a species of nettle, of which excellent twine, not 
inferior to any, is made. It grows to the height of about four feet, 
without branches, the stem being perfectly ligneous. It is cut 
down, dried, and beaten, after which its rind is stripped off and 
twisted, as we do Hemp. 

Twine is also made of the bark of a shrub called Endeeloo. 

The Cannabis, or Hemp, called Ganja by the Malays, is cul- 
tivated in quantities, not for the purpose of making rope, which 
they never think of applying it to, but for smoking ; and in that 
state it is called Bang, and has an intoxicating quality. 

A twine is made, in the Lampoon country, of the bark of the 
Bagoo-Tree, beat out like Hemp, for the construction of large 
fishing-nets. 

On the Island of Neas they make a twine of the Baroo-Tree, 
which they afterwards weave into coarse cloths for bags. A kind 
of thread for sewing is procured by stripping the filaments from the 
midribs of the leaves, and the trunk of the Pesang, or plaintain ; 
and I understand it is in some places worked in the loom. 



26 



ON HEMP. 



The Ejoo t 2l species of palm-tree, affords a fibre exactly re- 
sembling coarse black horse-hair, and is used, like it, for making 
ropes, &c. It encompasses the stem, and is seemingly bound on by 
thicker fibres, or twigs, of which the Malays make pens for writ- 
ing, (a) 

Marsden's Sumatra. 



(a) Dr. Roxburgh, in his Essay on Hemp and the Appendix thereto, enu- 
merates a great number of vegetable substances, from which strong fibres may 
be obtained ; as 

Hemp from Europe. 
Do. grown in the Hemp-Farm at 

Rishera, by Mr. Douglas. 
Coir. 

Ejoo. (Saugerus RumphiiJ a 

species of Sago-palm. 
Robinia Cannabina, from plants 

nearly ripe. 
D°. in another stage of its growth, 

plants in blossom. 
Crotalaria Juncea. 
Corchorus olitorius. 
Corchorus capsalaris. 



Flax, Linum usitatissimum, of 
Company's Farm at Rishera. 
Agave Americana. 
Aletris nervosa. 
Theobroma angusta. 
Theobroma Guazuma. 
Hibiscus tiliaceus. 
Hibiscus M anchot. 
Hibiscus mutabilis. 
Hibiscus , a new species from the 

Cape. 
Banksia 

Sterculia Villosa. 



21 

HEMP, 

WHERE GROWN. 



Hemp is one of the plants which Nature has not only made 
necessary but also common, and suited to every sort of soil as well 
as to every climate. It is true, that countries which are extremely 
hot are not favourable to it ; but, as this plant is but a short time in 
the ground, if a country is at all habitable by men, we are of 
opinion they may also cultivate Hemp. Rainy seasons are proper 
enough for sowing it ; and, when it is once in a condition to cover 
the ground, the dews alone, which are plentiful in these countries, 
will be sufficient to bring it to maturity. It will not, to be sure, 
grow so high as in temperate or colder climates ; but it may be, per- 
haps, on that very account, the more fit for use. 

Marcandier. 



Although Hemp, either in its wild or cultivated state, is to be 
found in almost every part of the globe,* yet, as the principal con- 

e 2 sumption 

* Hemp is grown in Persia, Egypt, and various parts of the East-Indies, 
China, New Zealand, Canada, Nova Scotia, &c. A small quantity is cultivated 
in England and Ireland ; perhaps not more than three hundred tons. 



28 



ON HEMP. 



sumption is for naval purposes, the growth of it, upon an extended 
scale, is more immediately confined within the limits of Europe. 
It is raised in various parts of France, Spain, Holland, Denmark, 
Sweden, and in several of the Italian States ; but, with the excep- 
tion of a trifling export from Italy, none of these countries produce 
it in quantities sufficient for their internal consumption. The grand, 
mart for it, as an article of commerce, is Russia, where it is grown 
in large quantities, and of the best quality, in the southern and 
western provinces, bordering upon Poland, and in the provin- 
ces of Poland, which, in the late partition of that kingdom, 
have fallen to the share of Russia. The rivers of Poland, which 
ilow to the northward, and fall into the Baltie in the Prussian 
dominions, pass through some of the countries where Hemp is cul- 
tivated ; but as such countries belong to Russia, and she commands 
the course of the rivers, the whole of the Hemp near the Baltic 
may, with propriety, be said to be in the power of that govern- 
ment, (a) 

. . . ~* — . — • — - 

(a) These remarks, written in 1803, acquire additional importance from 
the consideration of recent occurrences, which have placed at the disposal of our 
inveterate enemy the resources of the countries here described. 



29 



HEMP, 

NATURE OF THE SOIL BEST SUITED TO ITS GROWTH. 



Most sorts of soil are or may be made fit with good manuring, 
to sow Hemp upon. The best is accounted to be a warm sandy 
ground mixed with earth ; and of this sort of earth, fit places to 
sow Hemp on are old meadows grown over with moss ; old stack- 
yards ; and places kept in the winter for the lair of sheep or cattle. 
If your ground is something barren, you may enrich it, as you do 
all other sorts of ground. 

England's Improvement. 

Hemp is always sown in a deep, moist, rich soil, such as that 
of Holland, Lincolnshire, and the fens of the Isle of Ely, where 
it is cultivated to great advantage, as it might be in many other 
parts of England, where there is the like soil ; but it will not thrive 
on cold clay or stiff cold land. It is esteemed very good to destroy 
weeds, which is no other way effected but by robbing them of their 
nourishment ; for Hemp greatly impoverishes the ground, so that 
the crop should not be repeated on the same land. It may, how- 
ever, be grown on the same land for many years, by manuring an- 
nually. If it stands for seed, it is on all hands acknowledged to be 
an exhausting crop ; but if it be cut without seed, it is, on the 
contrary, supposed by many to improve the land, and to be an ex- 
cellent preparation for wheat. 

Miller's Gardcn-erf Dictionary. 



30 



ON HEMP. 



In Italy Hemp is sown on their best lands, which are rich,, 
strong loams, on which they are at all possible pains to procure a 
fine friable surface. For manure they use dung, pieces of rotten 
cloth, feathers and horns, brought from Dalmatia. The plant, 
however, may be cultivated upon ground of every kind : the poor 
land producing that which is finer in quality though in smaller 
quantity ; whereas strong and rich land produces a great quantity, 
but coarser. It does not exhaust the land on which it grows, like 
flax ; whence it is probable, that, if properly managed, and care 
be taken in the cultivation, it might be found to supersede flax en- 
tirely. A Suffolk Manufacturer, who has treated of this subject 
in the Annals of Agriculture, stales, that it may be raised for many 
years successively on the same gound, provided it be well manured. 
A variation in the quality of the soil makes an alteration, both in 
the quantity and quality of the Hemp. 

Young's Annals of Agriculture. 



Hemp requires to be cultivated in a deep, rich, moist soil : 
black moulds, and the feculent earths deposited by the overflowings 
of rivers are particularly recommended. The soil should neither 
be wet nor too dry, but in such a state as to retain a sufficient quan- 
tity of moisture. It should be as open and as free as possible, that 
the roots which are disposed fo take deep hold of the ground, may 

have freedom to push forth their fibres every way. 

Sinclair's Treatise on Hemp and Flax. 

In 



ON HEMP. 



31 



In the northern parts of Europe, the best crops of Hemp are 
produced on black, not morassy, open, gravelly soil. Where the 
ground is over-rich, the growth becomes exuberant, and consequent- 
ly coarse. As quality is preferable to quantity, care is taken to re- 
duce such a superior soil to the state of cultivation in which the ar- 
ticle is found to thrive best. An inferior soil requires to be raised to 
the like state. 

Mode of cultivating Hemp and Flax in Russia, Prussia, and Poland, 
by James Durno, Esq. British Consul at Memel. 1795. 



In Suffolk the soil preferred is what is called in the district mixed 
land; that is, sandy loam, moist and putrid, but without being stiff 
or tenacious : in one word, the best land the country contains. It 
of course does well, as may be supposed, on old meadows and low 
bottoms near rivers. 

The Rev. Mr. Mills of Bury says : Hemp delights in a black 
rich mould ; the richer * and stronger -f it is the better. It has 

sometimes 

* A rich black soil is best for every thing ; but it would too much discourage 
the culture, if it were supposed to be essentially necessary. I have seen it thrive 
well, sown after turnips fed off, on good common friable loams. Manure will 
make it thrive on any except very dry soils. — Arthur Young. 

t A good and friable clay, well manured with mould, will answer. The 
soil cannot be too rich. 



20 ON HE MP. 

sometimes been sown upon the breaking up of an old ley, and, 
where there has been sufficient depth, with success. 

Agricultural Survey of Suffolk. 



There is no soil in which Hemp will thrive so well, as in fine 
fat, rich, black-moulded sand. Indeed, there is hardly any soil so 
little addicted to weeds as that I have now described. 

Complde English Farmer. 



Coarse Hemp, such as is required for the manufacture of ca- 
bles, hawsers, and other heavy rigging, requires every where an 
abundance of manure and land of the richest quality. 

In Lincolnshire, where strong and heavy Hemp is grown, the 
Hemp gardens are small, and near the houses of the growers. 
These gardens absorb vast quantities of manure, and produce Hemp 
every year, without any alteration of crop, or any change, except 
that, in years when the Hemp is pulled early, a few turnips are 
sown for a stubble crop. 

In Russia, the same mode of cultivating Hemp on small 
patches of land, near the houses of the growers, prevails, no doubt 
from the facility of getting manure upon it. In Romagna, where 

the 



ON HEMP. 



S3 



the best Hemp in Italy is grown, the inhabitants have a common 
saying : Canape cresce dappertuito, ma la Canape a vendere ne in cieio,. 
ne in terra, ma nel letame.* 

Letter from the Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Banks to the Committee of Lords- 
of the Privy Council for the Affairs of Trade. ZQth July, 1802. 



The ground intended for a Hemp-field ought to be the very 
best that can be afforded, either near the house, or along some 
stream or water-ditch, yet so that there is no room to fear an inun- 
dation. To render this ground fruitful, we must not spare either 
manure or labour. 

Marcandier, 



The soil for Hemp should be a soft rich loam, easily brought 
into fine tilth, and it should be well manured. Newly broken-up 
land is found to be peculiarly good for this plant ; but flat grounds 
lying on the sides of rivers, and enriched by the sediment left on 
them when the waters overflow, are the best of all for it. 

If 

* Hemp may be grown every where ; but it cannot be produced fit for use., 
either in heaven or earth, without manure. 

F- 



ON HEMP. 



If Hemp is to be sown on very strong soils, they must be 
brought into so good tilth, and be so well manured, that their 
mould may remain loose. In this case such soils yield very great 
crops. 

It is the custom in some countries to form Hemp-grounds, 
which are appropriated solely to this purpose; whereupon the au- 
thor of a very judicious Account of the Culture of Hemp, in the 
Memoirs of the Royal Society of Agriculture at Tours, p. 32, 
justly observes : " That, besides that all soils delight in a change of 
" plants, Hemp is so far from impoverishing the ground, that the 
" leaves which fall from it become a sufficient manure, and the 
" depth to which the roots go, especially if the crop of Hemp be 
*' great, leaves the ground sufficiently loose to sow upon it even a 
" crop of wheat, immediately after the Hemp has been pulled, 
" without any other expense than sowing the seed and harrowing it 
" in ; or if turnips, or a spring crop, be more convenient to the 
" farmer, these also will thrive well after the Hemp. It is said, that 
" the Hemp which grows on an established Hemp-ground is softer 
" and more silky than that which is raised elsewhere: but the dif- 
" ference, if any, is very inconsiderable ; for- the Hemp which 
" grows in the other parts of Anjou, for example, is found to be as 
" good as that which is produced by any of the few established 
" Hemp-grounds in that province." 

Mills's Husbandry. 

Hemp 



ON HEMP. 



35 



Hemp requires a dry, deep, brown, rich, warm soil, secure 
from the north and east winds, and exposed to the sun. 

A. M l Donald's Essay on Raising and Dressing Hemp and Flax. 



The soil for Hemp should be rich, deep, light, and moderate- 
ly dry. Of this description, much can be found on the banks of 
the creeks and rivers in Canada. 

Taylor's Instructions for the Culture and Preparation of Hemp in Canada* 



In Europe, Hemp is always strong in the fibre, in proportion 
to the richness of the soil in which it has been grown : it is there- 
fore probable, that the same circumstance will take place in India, 
and that the Hemp of the richest land there will be the only kind 
fit for the Europe market. 

Letter from Mr. Fawkener, Secretary to the Lords of Trade, to the 
Court of Directors, 4>th. Feb. 1803. 



Hemp requires a soft soil, easily brought into fine tilth, rather 
light, but very fertile, and well manured and improved. Dry lands 
are not fit for Hemp : it does not rise well in them but remains 

f 2 short 



36 



ON HEMP. 



short and stinted in its growth ; and its fibres are then generally too 
woody, which renders them hard and elastic; and all these are 
considerable defects, even for the coarsest works. 

It is, however, true, that in rainy years it generally succeeds 
better on dry grounds than on moist : but as such years are not the 
most common, the best situation for a Hemp-ground is generally 
thought to be along the side of a stream, or of a ditch so full of 
water, that the water may constantly be nearly on a level with the 
surface, but without overflowing it. Jn some of the provinces of 
France such lands are called Courties or Courtils, and are highly es- 
teemed by the cultivators of Hemp. 

Du Hamel. 



BENGAL. 
Hemp-p roper — Cannabis Sativa. 
SOIL. 

Hemp must always be dearer than any cordage used by the na- 
tives of Bengal, as it requires a much higher richer soil, than the 
plants which they use for cordage, 

Mr. Fleming. 



Hemp 



ON HEMP. 



37 



Hemp must be sown on a rich free soil. 

Mr. Douglas — Board of Trade Cons. 5 th May 1801. 



Hemp, Cannabis sativa, will not grow but in a very rich soil ; 
and the small spots about the habitations of the natives are best 
adapted to the growth of it, being in general well cultivated, ma- 
nured, and of a dry, deep soil. 

Board of Trade's Minutes, 5th May, 1801. 

Soonamooky. — The Resident says, he has seen Ganja, Can- 
nabis sativa, grow luxuriantly on a sandy soil, manured with dung 
from the stables. This happened on his own grounds : the horses 
had been there from February. It was pulled up in July, and 
thrown away : the plants were six feet high. He nevertheless 
thinks this observation too slight to warrant the attempting to raise 
Ganja on a poor soil. 

Board of Trade Cons. 12th June, 1801. 

The seed should be sown on elevated spots of rich loamy soil, 
such as the Riotts cultivate tobacco, sunn, and paut on, near their 
habitations. In situations of this sort it thrives v well, and will be 

easily attended to. 

Dr. Roxburgh's Essay.— Bengal Board of Trade Cons. \2th Sept. 1801. 

A 



ON HEMP. 

SUNN. 

THE SOIL BEST ADAPTED TO ITS GROWTH. 

At Benares.— Light sand and clay mixed, such as barley and 
wheat are grown on. 

Commercolly. — A dry black soil without any mixture of 
sand. 

Hurriaul — Nearly an equal proportion of clay and sand,, 
and on which water does not settle for any length of time. 
Hurripaul. — A mixture of light clay and light earth. 
Keerpoy. — Dry rich ground. 

Malda. — A mixed soil of sand and mould. It will not thrive 
in ground that is very sandy, nor does it succeed in clay without a 
mixture of sand. 

Rungpore. — A fine soft mould, the richer the better. A dry 
tenacious soil, or a cold clay, are equally improper. The lands in 
this district lying low, the highest are preferred. It is supposed 
to thrive best on ground just sufficiently high to prevent its being 
flooded. 

Bengal Board of Trade Cons. 24th Aug. 1792. 



DACCA DISTRICT. 

Bazetpore.— -Dry and level grounds, where the rains do not 
settle, and where the soil is of a mixed kind* consisting of sand and 
earth. 

Teetbaddy, 



3S 



ON HEMP. 



39 



Teetbaddy.— A mixture of sand and earth. 

Chaunpore. — High ground, the banks of rivers or nullas, 
where the rains do not settle. 

Serampore. — Sloping ground, which-is dry in the month of 
October. 

Sonargong. — Produced only a small quantity on the banks 
of rivers. 

Dumroy. — No Hemp is grown, the country being low. 
Sylhet. — The borders of rivers, on grounds adjoining em- 
bankments, and deserted land, on which habitations have been built. 



Jungypore. — A dry soil, such as is esteemed poor land in 
Bengal. To the westward it is grown on high raised banks of tanks. 
It will succeed on grounds which are incapable of bearing any other 
crop. It cannot bear being overflowed with rain ; and one crop 
entirely exhausts the soil on which it is planted, so that it must lie 
fallow at least a year. 

The lands to the westward of Cossimbazar River are generally 
of a stiff soil, inclining somewhat to clay, especially the higher 
lands. It is likewise produced on low rich soils, such as are not 
liable to be flooded ; but it is not very common to raise it on such 
lands, as they are capable of yielding more productive crops. The 
Ghore-Sunn, produced on rich land, is of a coarser and worse qua- 
lity, than that of high dry situations. 

The 



4G 



ON HEMP. 



The Hemp in Europe requires a rich, deep, moist soil, and 
cannot bear strong clay land : on the contrary, the Ghore-Sunn 
affects a dry, hungry, stiff soil, tending to clay ; and although it 
will grow in rich deep soils, yet the Hemp (Sunn) produced in such 
situations is coarser than that from more dry and poor lands. 

Keerpoy. — Kolla land, somewhat sandy. 

Patna. — A light, clayey, dry soil, neither high nor low, nor 
liable to be flooded. 

Chittagong. — A rich, light soil, near the banks of rivers 
and nullahs. 

v Board of Trade Cons, llth January, 1793. 

Sunn will grow in every soil and situation, except in very low. 
places, where it is apt to be much overflowed in heavy rains, which 
circumstance would both impede its growth and injure the fibre. 

Mr. Douglas, Board of Trade Consult. 5th May, 1801. 

CoMMERCOLLY.—The ground for Phool-Sunn is good Paddy 
or Mulberry land. For Boggy-Sunn rather high ground is chosen.. 

Board of Trade Consult. 1 2th June, 1801. 

Jungypore.. — Sunn has this singular and invaluable property, 
that it can be raised on land so sterile as to be hardly fit for any 
other crop. 

Board of Trade Consult. 23d June, 1801. 

Soonamooky.-— Sunn requires alight rich soil, and thrives best 
on the most manured grounds. 

The Resident states, that Mr. Douglas's observations of the 

soil 



ON HEM P. 



4L 



soil requisite for Sunn, differ from the information he has obtained ; 
but from Mr. Douglas's experience his opinion may be preferable. 
The Resident has never seen any land in cultivation for Sunn except 
in patches ; in many instances it is broken up when the plant is 
about eighteen inches high, and left to rot on the ground as a 
manure for sugar-cane, and the cheapest that could be procured 
at a distance from the villages. 

Board of Trade Consult. 11th Jidy, 1S01. 
Malda. — Only the high spots are at present sown. 

Board of Trade Consult. 1 1 th Sept. 1801. 

Cuttorah. — The soil is well suited to the plant. At Hurri- 
paul it is different ; the lands, being low, stint the growth. 

Board of Trade Consult. 1th Oct. 1801. 

Luckypore. — The land in this district is too low and wet for 
Sunn. 

Board of Trade Consult. 16th Oct. 1801. 



Mr. Arthur Young, in the 205th No. of the Annals of Agri- 
culture, published Oct. 1807, says, Hemp succeeds well on drained 
bogs, and on newly broken up grass lands, and that it prepares well 
for wheatr Relative to bogs, he says, he has known a peat-bog in 
Huntingdonshire produce fifty stone per acre, which is a fair crop 

g on 



42 



ON HEMP. 



on the very best lands. Bogs, when drained, are natural dung- 
hills. They are, without exception, the richest of all soils. 



A deep black, putrid, vegetable kind of earth, in a low situa- 
tion, and somewhat inclinable to moisture, is adapted to the growth 
of Hemp, as well as the deep mellow, loamy, or sandy soils : the 
former yield, in general, better crops than the latter ; but some hold 
that the quality is inferior ; nevertheless it may be grown with much 
success on lands of a less rich and fertile nature, by due care and 

attention in their culture and management. 

picksorCs Complete Farmer Vol. I. Quarto, 1807. 

Ill the northern districts, a free deep warm fat soil, exposed to 
moderate air, and sheltered from blasts of high wind. Ground 
lying on the coast, enriched with sea weed, though light, has been 
often proved to give good crops. 

v I have known a few instances of large crops being obtained 
upon a deep black peat, well drained. 

Piifs Agricttlt. Bep. Stafford. 



Hemp, though it requires good strong land, exhausts the 
ground so little, that for many years it may be raised on the same 
spot, if well manured. 



43 



HEMP, 
MODE OF CULTIVATION. 

The first and most considerable ploughing or stirring is given 
to the Hemp-ground in the months of December and January, and 
is called the winter-ploughing or stirring. Some use for this purpose 
the common plough, laying the ground rough in furrows : others 
use the vineyard-hoe, likewise forming furrows, that the ground 
may be the better mellowed by the winter's frost. Some even dig 
it with the spade, which is certainly the best method, but more 
tedious and laborious ; while, on the contrary, ploughing it is 
the most expeditious, but the least profitable. 

In the spring, the ground is thoroughly prepared for the re- 
ceiving of the seed by two or three ploughings or stirrings; and a 
fortnight or three weeks should intervene between each of these 
ploughings, making them gradually slighter, and laying the ground 
smooth and even. 

In these spring-stirrings, as in the winter one, either the plough, 
hoe, or spade may be used. 

If after all these ploughings or stirrings, any lumps or clods of 

g 2 earth 



44 



ON HEMP. 



earth remain, they should be broken by the hand with mallets ; for- 
th e whole Hemp-ground should be as level, and of as fine mould, 
as the beds of a garden. 

All the manures that render the earth light are proper for 
Hemp ; and accordingly the dung of horses, sheep, pigeons, and 
poultry, or the scowering of the ponds in villages, when it has had 
time to ripen, are preferable to cow-dung. Marie is not, to my 
knowledge, used for the manuring of Hemp-grounds. 

It |is best to dung the Hemp-ground every year, and before the 
winter-ploughing, that the dung may have time to rot during that 
season, and that the spring-ploughings may the more thoroughly 
mix it with the earth. 

Pigeons'-dung is the only one which, in order to derive the 
greater advantage from it, is put in the ground during the spring- 
ploughings. It is to be feared, however, that, if the spring proves 
dry, the pigeons'-dung may burn the seed, which it would not do, 
if laid on during the winter : but in this ease, a greater quantity of 
dung should be used, or less advantage must be expected from it. 

As soon as the Hemp-seed is sown, it must be carefully covered 
with earth ; either by means of a harrow, if the ground has been 
ploughed ; or with a rake, if it has been dug by hand. 

Notwithstanding this precaution, the Hemp-ground must be 
constantly and assiduously watched, till the whole of the seed has 
risen ; for otherwise numbers of birds, and especially pigeon?, 
will destroy it entirely, without sparing even the seeds which have 

been 



ON HEMP. 



45 



been well buried. It is true, that pigeons and birds which do not 
scratch, do no great hurt to the grains of corn that are well covered 
with earth : but the husks of these grains do not rise up out of the 
ground with their green shoots, as those of Hemp always do ; and 
then it is, that these birds, mistaking them for perfect seeds, tear 
them away with the young plants to which they adhere, and there- 
by commit vast havock. 

The farmers endeavour to frighten the birds away with scare- 
crows, and cause their children to watch the Hemp-grounds. But 
these precautions are found to be insufficient ; for this is a very la- 
borious task when the Hemp-grounds are large, especially if the 
pigeons, which are so greedy after it, be hungry. I have seen strong 
men, and even dogs, so wearied out with fatigue, as to be forced to 
give up the task. Happily, this troublesome work does not last 
long; for when the Hemp has put forth a few leaves, it requires 
no further tending. 

After the plants have come up, the Hemp-grounds require very 
little care or labour till the gathering of the produce. In general, 
it is deemed sufficient to keep the ditches in order, and to prevent , 
the cattle from entering them. 

In very dry seasons, however, some industrious farmers water 
their Hemp-grounds by the hand : but this is not practicable, unless 
the grounds be small, and the water be near at hand ; or they may 
be watered by immersion or overflowing, as I believe is done in 
some places. 

If 



46 



ON HEMP. 



If, by any accident, the Hemp grows very thin, so as to be 
thereby in danger of branching out too much, and becoming 
woody and incapable of furnishing good fibres, it will be adviseable 
to keep it perfectly clear of weeds, in order to let it remain for 
seed, which will be so much the better for the plants having stood 
thin ; and thus, at least, some advantage will, in such cases, be 
derived from the Hemp-grounds. 

Du Hamel. 



Some people give the land only one ploughing for Hemp, 
which is just before they sow it : but others prepare it as finely as the 
gardeners do their mould. For this purpose it should be ploughed 
once in the preceding autumn, and two or three times in the spring; 
and after the first spring-ploughing in February it should be well 
manured. 

Chambers's Dictionary. 



The ground on which Hemp is designed to be sown should 
be well ploughed, and made very fine by harrowing. 

Encyclopedia Britannica. 

After you have made choice of your ground, break up about 
the beginning of May, in a fair season, with a strong plough, 

such 



ON HEMP. 



such as is generally used in all strong clay grounds, the share being 
rather long than broad, and the coulter rather somewhat bending, 
than straight and even, according as the nature of your ground shall 
require, which you will soon find out on turning up two or three fur- 
rows ; for, according to the cutting of the earth, you must fashion the 
temper of your plough. To plough your land well, you must throw 
down your furrows flat, and betwixt every furrow you should leave 
a baulk of earth, half as broad as the furrow, and so go over the 
whole of the ground, without making any difference or distinction 
of lands. But if you fear any annoyance of water, then you should 
lay your furrows higher, nearer, and closer together, dividing the 
ground into several lands, and proportioning every land to- lie the 
highest in the middle, so that the water may have a descent or pas- 
sage on each side. 

The ground where you sow your Hemp should be like that 
where you sow barley, or at least as often broken up as you do 
when you fallow for wheat, which is thrice ; except it be some very 
mellow and ripe mould, as Hemp-lands usually are ; and then twice 
breaking up is sufficient, which must be done about the latter end. 
of February, and the latter end of April. 

Seasonable Advice for England's Improvement, 



Hemp 



Qtf HEMP. 



Hemp should be sown after a fallow or green crop ; and as this 
plant is of a vigorous growth, it must be laid down with manure 
plentifully. It ought to be ploughed deep before winter, and fre- 
quently in the spring, that it may be mouldered as much as possible 
before sowing. 

Sinclair. 



In Suffolk, Hemp is in the hands of both farmers and cottagers : 
but it is very rare to see more than five or six acres in the occupation 
of any one man. With cottagers, the more common method is 
to sow it every year on the same land. There is a piece at Hoxne 
which has been under this crop for seventy successive years. They 
manure for it with great attention ; so that it may be taken as a max- 
im, that Hemp is not often sown without this preparation. Of dung 
and moulds it requires twenty-five three-horse loads for an acre : of 
dung alone, sixteen are sufficient. This is done directly after wheat 
sowing is finished. 

The tillage consists in three earths, with harrowing sufficient 
to make the soil perfectly fine ; and it is laid flat, with as few furrows 
as possible. 

The Rev. Mr. Mills, of Bury, observes, that the land should be 
well worked, and manured with thirty loads per acre, about a fort- 
night before seed time. 

Hemp may be grown with success on the same land many years 
by manuring annually. 

Suffolk Report. 

At 



ON HEMP. 



49 



At Swineshead, in Lincolnshire, where much Hemp is grown, 
it was formerly cultivated on the same spots year after year ; but now 
they spread it over a farm, accordingly as the soil suits or the price 
actuates; and on some lands that are foul they sow it as a cleanser. 
If the soil is weak, they manure for it. It is ploughed first at Can- 
dlemas ; a second time at Lady-day ; and a third time about the 
middle or end of May, previous to sowing. 

At Haxey it is sown after wheat. Some plough before Christ- 
mas ; others at Candlemas. After the first ploughing, the ground 
is manured. Some turn it in ; but this is not so good. A mid- 
dling dressing, the shorter the better. The best dressing is pigeon's 
dung, added to dung, a quarter, or a quarter and a half per acre. 
It answers best after wheat that follows clover. The ground should 
be ploughed again between Candlemas and Lady-day, three or four 
times, and well rolled and harrowed. 

Lincoln Report. 



Dung is by no means necessary to the growth of Hemp ; but 
good tillage and a suitable soil is absolutely so. The mould should 
be deep and easily penetrated ; for the fibres of the roots are soon 
checked, and, if impeded, are no longer capable of performing 
their proper offices. 

Complete English Farmer. 
h In 



50 



ON HEMP. 



In the northern parts of Europe, as Poland, Prussia, and Russia, 
the most infallible mode of ascertaining when the soil is of a proper 
degree of strength, is by raising previous crops of other grain. 

On a vigorous soil, in a good state of cultivation, the usual ro- 
tation of crops is : 1st. Winter-wheat ; 2d. Winter-rye ; 3d. Bar- 
ley ; 4th. Oats ; and then Hemp. Such a soil will bear a crop of 
Hemp without being manured : if manured after the first, it will give 
a second. But on a soil of less strength, a crop of Hemp is taken 
immediately after the winter crop of rye ; the land being ploughed 
up once, either in the intervening autumn or spring, harrowed and 
manured in the spring, and then ploughed over a second time for 
sowing. 

To make the most of this poor soil, a winter crop of rye is sown 
immediately after the Hemp has been drawn, without any further 
manure. 

Durno. 



Land intended for a crop of Hemp must be well manured, 
well ploughed, cleansed, and gotten fine. 

UAbbt Bridles. 



Hemp-grounds must be dunged every year; and the better to se- 
cure success it would be proper to lay on the dung before the winter 

tillage, 



ON HEMP. 



51 



tillage, that it may waste itself there, and mix the more perfectly with 
the ground, which, impregnated with these new salts, will derive 
the greater advantages from the influences of that season, and catch 
more of the volatile salts of the air, that commonly abound most 
in the winter. 

Of all the sorts of dung that are used for Hemp-grounds, pi- 
geon's dung only, or any other kind of dung that is fully ripe, ought 
to be laid on before the last labour, as is practised with success in 
several places. In countries where the land is strong, they general- 
ly lay it in heaps after autumn. In this manner it becomes more 
free and light than when it is only tilled. The snow and rains which 
penetrate it in , the winter time, and the frosts that are common in 
that season, kill, if we may so express it, that ground, as they 
would a chalk-stone, and make it so free, that in the month of Fe- 
bruary nothing more is wanting but to lay it level by a quick and 
easy labour. All its parts, and even the most tender particles, will 
then be found extremely small, light, and lively. 

But different soils require different methods of preparation ; and 
it is the part of men of understanding to discontinue bad customs, 
that have prevailed till this time, and substitute better methods in 
their place. 

Marcandier, 



The ground should be made rich with dung, and for the con- 
veniency of pulling the male or early Hemp (without hurting the 

H 2 other), 



52 



ON HEMP. 



other,) as well as giving it air, I would sow it in drills, or small 
ridges, about three feet broad, with two feet intervening between 
the ridges, that a person may go up and down amongst it, without 
trampling upon the seed-hemp. 

It grows best when sown repeatedly on the same ground, pro- 
vided it be well dunged every three years. 

M i Donald's Essay. 



If the ground has not had a previous summer fallow, it should 
be ploughed once in the autumn and twice in the spring : it should 
then be harrowed extremely fine with iron-toothed harrows. 

Taylor's Instructions. 



MODE OF CULTIVATION IN BENGAL. 

Instead of sowing the Hemp ( Cannabis sativa ) very thick, as 
it ought to be done when the plant is intended for cordage, the na- 
tives sow it very thin, and afterwards transplant the young plants, 
placing them at a considerable distance from each other, often nine 
or ten feet. By this mode the plant grows to a very large size, a 
great deal too large to admit of the stalks being properly bruised 
for heckling. This mode of cultivation is too expensive^ if used 
with the view of preparing cordage from the plant- 
There 



ON HEMP. 53 

There can be no doubt, that the Riotts, if due encouragement 
were held out to them, would readily adopt the European mode of 
cultivating the Hemp, and also of dressing the fibre for cordage. A 
native, who had an opportunity of observing the mode of culti- 
vating and preparing the Hemp raised by Mr. Douglas at Rishera, 
has offered to the Board of Trade to contract with them for sup- 
plying a very considerable quantity, I believe five hundred maunds,* 
-of properly dressed Hemp next season, at the rate of ten Sicca 
rupees per maund.-j- 

Dressed Hemp might probably be soon procured at eight Sicca 
rupees per maund, or j£28 per ton, but hardly at a lower rate, at 
least for some time. 

When the mode of cultivation is better known, and the Riotts 
find they have a certain market for their produce, it it proba- 
ble they may be able to afford the dressed Hemp at a much lower 
price. 

The ground must be manured, and repeatedly ploughed and 
harrowed. 

Mr. Fleming. 



The seeds should be sown as thick as the natives commonly 

sow 



* About seventeen tons. 

f This is equal to 300 Sicca rupees, or, at 2s. 6d. per rupee, £U. per ton. 



54 ON HEMP. 

sow the Sunn, on a rich free soil. The ground should be well 

manured, and repeatedly well ploughed and harrowed. 

Mr. Douglas. 



The mode of cultivation practised by the native differs ma- 
terially from that requisite for the purpose of raising Hemp ; and 
they are notoriously wedded to their own customs and habits, and 
averse to innovation of any kind. 

Minute of the Board of Trade. — Board of Trade Cons. 5th May, 1801. 



SUNN. 

Benares.- — The ground is ploughed over once or twice in 
the month of June, or at the commencement of the rains, and 
when it is thus prepared and moist, the farmer watches an oppor- 
tunity, when he thinks it likely to be fair clear weather for a few 
days, to put the seed into the ground. If in this he is not disap- 
pointed, the young plant will begin to make its appearance in three 
or four days after the seed has been sown, and it will afterwards 
require but little attention, as the usual rains, without any other 
assistance, are sufficient to bring it to maturity. But should the 
farmer be not successful at the time of putting the seed into the 
ground, and heavy rains come on, before it has had time to take 

root, 



O N H E M P. 55 

root, the consequence is, that it will rot, and he has lost his labour. 
At the close of the rains, or about the end of September, the Sunn 
is ready for cutting. When the farmer is cutting it, he will leave 
standing a small quantity, perhaps about a quarter of a begah out of 
ten begahs, to grow to seed ; and that is cut about the end of Oc- 
tober. Afterwards he will prepare the same ground for barley, 
wheat, or some other grain, but in general the two former, and 
thereby have two crops from the same ground, between the month 
of June and the middle of March. 

Malda. — In the month of September, the ground must be 
first of all twice ploughed and then once harrowed; after which it 
must be again twice ploughed and once harrowed ; all the clods of 
earth beat fine, and well cleared of weeds. In this state it is ready 
to receive the seed. After sowing it must be twice ploughed and 
twice harrowed. This is the practice with ground which has been 
recently in cultivation with other articles ; but in case the land to 
be cultivated has lain fallow during several years, more labour must 
be bestowed upon it, and instead of being ploughed six times it 
must be ploughed ten times. 

Such is the mode of cultivation generally practised in the dif- 
ferent districts round the factory : but in the country adjacent the 
seasons of sowing and reaping are quite different, and the cultiva- 
tion is performed after the following manner : 

The ground being prepared, as before, with four or more 
ploughings, as circumstances require, and being well cleared of 

weeds 5 , 



56 



ON HEMP. 



weeds, the seed is sown in Jeyse Assar (June), after a fall of rain, 
and the ground must upon this be ploughed and harrowed. When 
the plant has grown about nine inches from the ground, it must be 
weeded. It must again be weeded when the plant is a foot and a 
half, or two feet high. The Sunn being ready, which happens in 
Bhaddar Asseen (September), is cut down, and not pulled up by 
the roots, because from growing in the rainy season the stalks are 
much larger and stronger. Some cut it in flower, some in seed. 
The Sunn being cut is left three or four days in the field, during 
which time the greater part of the leaves drop off. The last men- 
tioned Sunn, which is cut in September, is both finer and stronger 
than the other. 

Commeecolly. — There are two kinds of Sunn, which are 
cultivated at different seasons of, the year, though they are nearly 
similar in quality ; one being sown in June, the other in October. 
That sown in June is generally cut about August, and the other 
about April. The plant intended for seed is left standing fifteen or 
twenty days longer, when it is cut, and, after being thoroughly 
dried, the seed is taken from it by threshing. 

Hurriaul. — In the month of ^January the ground is plough- 
ed and harrowed : in February it is again ploughed. In April, 
after the first shower of^ rain falls, it is a third time ploughed and 
well harrowed, to clear it from weeds, and the following day the 
seed is sown by the hand (in the same manner as the English far- 
mers do wheat, &c.) and then again well harrowed. In a few 

days 



ON HEMP. 



days it appears above ground. When it has got to the height of 
about eighteen inches, the ground must be well weeded; after 
which nothing further is required to be done until the month of 
August, by which period it is at its full growth (about five feet,) 
and the flowers make their appearance. It is then (except what 
is intended to be reserved for seed) cut down, as close to the ground 
as possible, and laid in ridges, care being taken to place them so, 
that the leafy parts lie one upon the other. In this state they con- 
tinue ten or twelve days, or until the leaves begin to rot, and fall 
from the stalks on being shook. 

Hurripaul. — It should be raised on high ground, where no 
water will lie. First, dung is thrown upon the earth ; after lying 
ten days, it is ploughed ; five days afterwards it is harrowed once ; 
in two days more the seed is generally sown. The sowing never 
should be delayed beyond seven days. After strewing the seed, it 
is ploughed and harrowed. In three days the seed will begin to 
shoot, and appear plainly in four or five. No further process is 
required, not even weeding; the Sunn being set so close, and 
growing so thick, that nothing else can easily come up. In a 
month and a half it will be seven feet and a half or eight feet high, 
at which time it bears a yellow flower. At this time it is cut down, 
except what may be left for seed, the fibre from which will be in- 
ferior. The season begins about the 10th May, and the crop is 
gathered within two months. If sown every year in the same spot, 
the soil would be impoverished, and the produce inferior ; the 

i land 



58 



ON HEMP. 



land is, therefore, every other year, appropriated to sugar, cotton, 
or early grain. 

Rung pore.— About the month of March the cultivation of 
the land commences. It is frequently ploughed, cleaned, manured, 
and ploughed again for the space of a month ; the soil being well 
mixed, broken fine, and laid smooth. The seed is strewed over 
the ground lightly in the month of April. In about eight or ten 
days the plants begin to rise. About fifteen or twenty days after, 
the ground is carefully weeded. When the plants have risen to the 
height of a haut, or half a yard, those which may have sprung up 
too close to each other are transplanted to more open parts of the 
field. When they have risen to the height of one and a half or 
two hauts, the ground is again weeded ; after which they are left 
to ripen, without further care. In about four months from the 
time of sowing, the plants will have arrived at maturity, at which 
time their height will be about five hauts. Those plants which are 
reserved for seed are generally allowed to remain a few days longer 
on the ground than the rest, till the seed begins to loosen in the 
husks. 

Board of Trade Cons. 24th August, 1792. 



DACCA DISTRICT, 

■ Bazetpore.— *If the ground has lain waste any length of time, 
it will require to be many times ploughed, previously to the reception 

of 



ON HEMP. 



of the seed which is sown in Cautic (October) : but if the ground 
be already in a state of cultivation, and has lately yielded an ouze 
crop of grain, it will be sufficient to plough it four or five times. 

After the plants appear, the only care that is taken, is to place 
Chokeys, to prevent cattle from injuring them. 

About five months after the plants come up, on their being 
sufficiently mature, they are taken up by the roots, and tied up in 
bundles. 

Dacca-Jelalpore. — The ground is ploughed seven or 
eight times, and the seed sown in Cautic and Augun (October and 
November.) 

When the seed is sown, the plants appear in the course of ten 
or twelve days, after which no further care is bestowed upon them. 
Three months afterwards the plants are cut down. 

Teetbaddy.— The ground should be ploughed five or six 
times, and the seed sown in Cautic (October), or until the 4th or 
5th Augun (15th November). 

After the appearance of the plants no further care is bestowed 
on them. 

About four months after the appearance of the plants, or in 
the months Faugun and Chyte (February and March), they are 
taken up by the roots, and, the tops being taken off, are tied into 
bundles. 

Momensing. — If the ground has been previously culti- 
vated, three or four times ploughing is a sufficient prepara- 

I 2 tion 



60 



ON HEMP. 



tion for the reception of the seed, which is sown in Cautic 
(October). 

From the coming up of the plants, until the time of harvest, 
no farther attention is given to them. 

The plants blossom in Maug or Faugun (January or February), 
and after blossoming they are cut down. 

Chaundpore. — The ground should be ploughed and har- 
rowed seven times, and the seed sown in Cautic or Augun (Octo- 
ber, November). After the seed comes up, the plants are reared 
in the same manner as at Teetbaddy. 

Five or six months after the coming up of the plants, in Fau- 
gun or Chyte (February, March), on the falling of the blossoms, 
the plants are taken up by the roots, and tied together in small 
bundles. 

Serampore. — If the ground be already in a state of cultiva- 
tion, it will only require to be ploughed three, and harrowed four 
times, previously to the sowing of the seed, which should be in 
Augun or Poose (November, December), and to be twice ploughed, 
and three times harrowed, after the sowing: but if the ground 
have lain waste any length of time, the ploughing and harrowing 
must be repeated oftener. 

After the seed comes up, the plants are reared in the same 
manner as at Teetbaddy. 

Seed sown in Augun (November) produces plants which are 
cut in Faugun (February), Seed sown in Poose (December) pro- 
duces 



ON HEMP. 



61 



duces plants which are cut in Chyte (March). On cutting the 
plants, the tops are separated and thrown away. 

Tipperah. — Previously to the sowing of the seed, which is 
done in Cautic (October), the ground is ploughed three or four 
times, and harrowed. 

After the seed comes up, no further trouble is taken. 

In five or six months after sowing the seed, or in Chyte and 
Bysaak (March and April), the plants are cut down, and made up 
into small bundles. 

Sylhet. — The ground is ploughed twice, and the seed sown 
in Cautic (October). After the appearance of the plants, no further 
attention to them is necessary. In Faugun or Chyte (February or 
March) about four months after the sowing of the seed, the plants 
are cut down and made up into bundles. 

Jungypore. — The ground designed for Ghore-Sunn is ploughed 
three or four times, and the clods of earth are broken and pulverised 
by a kind of harrow. The lands are ploughed twice in the dry 
season, in April or May. When the rains set in, they are again 
ploughed, and the seed sown when the land is as wet as the situation 
will admit. 

The plants appear four or five days after the seed is sown> and, 
rising very quickly, require no weeding, as the plant soon overtops 
and destroys grass or weeds, by depriving them of nourishment : 
and as the seed is sown on the commencement of the rains, no water- 
ing is requisite, nor any thing further to be done by the proprietor, 

until 



62 



ON HEMP. 



until the plant is ready for cutting, which is from the 20th of Sep- 
tember to the 10th of October, being sown in all June. The plant 
is cut when in flower, and bound up into bundles. 

Keerpoy. — The ground being ploughed three different times, 
the seed is sown, by being scattered over the ground at pleasure, with 
the hand, in the month of Bysaak (April) ; and in Ausseen (Sep- 
tember) the Hemp is cut. 

Patna. — The only preparation required for Sunn is to plough 
the ground four times transversely, after manuring it with wood- 
ashes and cow-dung, in equal quantities, in the proportion of about 
eighty pounds to a cottah, or square of about nine feet. The 
seed is sown in June, soon after the setting in of the rains. The 
ground must be kept free from weeds. 

It grows six or seven feet high, and is cut down in November, 
about the time it begins to flower ; and what is reserved for seed is 
ripe and cut in January or February. 

Chittagong. — The time for sowing the Ghore-Sunn is in the 
month of Ausseen or September. Previous to its being sown, the 
ground is well manured with ashes, and ploughed, and then har- 
rowed for nine or ten days together, until it is made as fine as garden 
mould. This done, the seed is thrown into the ground, or laid in 
rows, as fancy may direct, covering it over lightly with earth. 

When the plant appears, which is generally in five or six days, 
it is frequently hoed, and kept free from weeds ; and when it comes 

to 



ON HEMP. 



63 



to maturity, which will be in about four or five months, it is pulled 
up by the roots, and tied up in small bundles. 

Board of Trade Cons. 14th Jan., 1793. 



In the cultivation of Sunn, the natives seldom pay much atten- 
tion to the quantity and tillage of the land, it being a plant that will 
grow in almost every soil and situation ; except in very low places, 
where it is apt to be much overflowed in heavy rains. 

Mr. Douglas, Bengal Consult. 5th May, 1801. 



Chittagong. — Sunn is cultivated and prepared in the manner 
stated by Mr. Douglas to be common in the other parts of Bengal. 

Commercolly. — The ground is good paddy or mulberry 
land, and should be twice well tilled for Phool-Sunn, and once for 
Boggy. 

Board of Trade Consult. 1 2th June, 1801. 



BOMBAY. 

MODE OF CULTIVATION. 

A good deal of Hemp ( Crotolaria ) is annually cultivated in 
Salsette. It is generally sown on the sides of hills, as it would not 
pay for the expense of better ground* Its cultivation costs but little ; 

the 



64 



ON HEMP. 



the ground is slightly scratched by an instrument, when the seed is 
sown towards the end of the rainy season. It grows luxuriantly, 
without further trouble, to the height of seven or eight feet, or 
more ; and soon after the conclusion of the rainy season it is ripe. 

There are vast tracts of mountainous ground in Salsette, where 
Hemp would grow to perfection ; and there is also much uncultiva- 
ted low land, on which it could be raised without interfering with 
the present agriculture of the country. It might be proper to let the 
people have such land as is employed in this cultivation free from 
rent. This encouragement, I think, would have the desired effect 
in the course of a few years ; but I cannot suppose, that the people 
of that island will pay for the land in order to cultivate Hemp, or 
that they will raise any quantity of it, which they do not see they 
can immediately dispose of to some advantage. 

Letter from Dr. Helenas Scott, Zlst May, 1803. 



65 



HEMP - SEED, 

HOW TO ASCERTAIN ITS BEING OF A GOOD QUALITY, 



When good, it will not break on being rubbed. It should 
be always of the growth of the preceding year, and every second 
or third year taken from a different soil. 

Chambers's Dictionary. 



In the choice of the seed, the heaviest and brightest-coloured 
should be preferred, and particular care should be had as to the 
kernel of the seed. For the greater certainty in this matter, some of 
the seeds should be cracked, to see whether they have the germ or 
future plant perfect ; for in some places the male plants are 
drawn too soon, i. e. before they have impregnated the female plants 
with the farina : in which case, though the seeds produced by these 
females may seem fair to the eye, yet they will not grow, accord- 
ing to the doctrine of Linnaeus. 

Encyclopedia Britannka. 
k Fresh 



66 



ON HEMP. 



Fresh seed should be chosen, of a bright colour, and so firm as to 
bear being well rubbed betwixt the hands, which renders it brighter. 
There is no mark of the sex discernible in the seed externally. 

The degeneracy of plants, and their disagreeing with the soil 
and climate, are discovered by the changed appearance of the seed, 
which in Hemp and Flax will be observed to become more elonga- 
ted and less plump ; improvements, in that event, may be made, 
by transferring the seed produced in one district to another of a dif- 
ferent soil ; and, as in Hindoostan there is such a variety of climate 
and soil, at distances not remote from each other, experiments may 
be made there with more success than in Europe. This deserves 
particular attention ; for, it is said, that the Dutch import all their 
Flax-seed from Riga, and that Russia, on the other hand, provides 
herself with seed from Holland. 

Sinclair. 



The best seed for Hemp is the smoothest, roundest, and bright- 
est, with the least dust in it. 

England's Improvement. 



There is great nicety required in the choice of the seed, and 
much is sold that is good for little. The method by which those 
who are conversant in Hemp-seed judge of its goodness is by its 

weight, 



ON HEMP. 67 

weight, its colour, and its gloss. If it is heavy, bright, and of an 
oily-like glossiness, there is no doubt of its goodness, provided that 
no mixture is found amongst it. What is most to be apprehended is 
from a mixture of immature seed, which has all the appearance of 
good seed, but has never been properly impregnated : for, as Hemp 
is male and female, one bearing the farina, the other the seed ; and 
as the male is ripe much sooner than the other, it frequently hap- 
pens, that the male is pulled, before the seed of the female is proper- 
ly fecundated ; in which case, though the seed is in appearance 
perfect, yet it is only a mere husk without any prolific powers. The 
seed, however, that comes from the Baltic, provided it is fresh, is 
generally good : but the dealers are very apt to mix it, or to push 
off their old seed upon those by whom they cannot be detected. 

Complete English Farmer. 



To have good seed, you must use the produce of the last crop, 
and the grain must be clean and full grown. Seed of two years' 
growth will not be so good ; that of three years' standing will be still 
less valuable, and oftentimes will not spring up at all. 

Marcandier. 



The seed to be sown should be new 

K 2 



Abbe Brulles. 

The 



68 ON HEMP. 

'The Hemp-seed that is sown should always be of the growth 
of the preceding year ; because, as it is an oily grain, it is apt to 
become rancid, if kept too long ; in which case it loses its vegetative 
power, insomuch, that, when it is two years old, many of the 
grains will not rise at all ; and, if it be older, a still less quantity 
will grow. Du Ham-el. 

Mills, in his Practical Husbandry, in addition to what is said 
by Du Hamel, as above, remarks : " Experience has also proved, 
" that in this, as in other grain, it is advisable, every second or 
" third year, to choose the seed from a soil different from that in 
«' which it is to be sown." 



Much care should be taken in the choice of Hemp-seed. That 
of the last year's growth should be chosen, and such as has not been 
heated in the carriage. Choose such seed as apears fresh, firm 
and bright. Prove it by rubbing it between your hands : if it suffers 
this without breaking, and becomes brighter, it is a good sign ; but if 
it be broken and made dusty by rubbing, it is unfit for the farmer's use. 

Whatever seed is sent from England should be packed in small 
casks, and great care taken to procure that which is new and of 
the best quality ; before it is depended upon for a crop, a small 
quantity should be sown in good earth, in a warm secured situation, 
to see that it will vegetate. It has been supposed, that keeping 

Hemp- 



ON HEMP. 



69 



Hemp-seed in a cellar, two or three weeks previous to its being sown, 
will assist its vegetation. Taylor's Instructions. 



Hemp-seed, if sent to India, should, during the passage, be 
kept in a cool, dry, airy place ; for, if put into the hold or bread- 
room, the seed, from its oily nature, will become rancid and unfit 
for vegetation, A large quantity of the best English Hemp-seed 
was sent to me about two years ago by Sir Joseph Banks ; it had been 
kept in the ship's hold in the way out, and not one seed grew. 

Dr. Roxburgh — Bengal Cons. \2thFeb. 1801. 



If seed is obtained as soon as threshed out of the straw, and 
packed in small bags of Osnaburgh, or some other thin linen cloth, 
each bag to contain not more than a bushel, such bags may be 
stowed in the stern-gallery or some other airy part of a ship ; and 
as it is impossible that the seed can heat under such circumstances 
it is apprehended, that the large part, if not the whole of it, will 
retain its vegetative powers till its arrival in India. 

Letter from Mr. Fawkcner to the Court of DircQtors y 4th Feb. 1803. 

BENGAL. 

SUNN. 

Benares.— The seed will not keep beyond a season. 

Board of Trade Cons. 25th May, 1302. 



70 



HEMP-SEED, 

THE QUANTITY REQUIRED TO BE SOWN, 



Three bushels of seed are the general allowance per acre 5 
but the richer the land is, the thicker it should be sown, and vice 
versa. 

Chambers's Dictionary. 



About three bushels is the usual allowance for an acre. 

Encyclopadia Britannica. 



A bushel and a half will answer for an acre, if sowed in drills 

* " f -* :;: 'v W, ' : •/ 

Sinclair. 



Eleven peeks per acre, at the price of from one to two shillings 
per peck ; generally from sixteen to eighteen pence. Much is 
brought from Downham and the Fens. 

Suffolk Report. 

From nine to twelve pecks per acre, varying with the strength 
of the soil and the custom of the country. In those places where 
the finest and best Hemps are grown, twelve pecks is a common 
quantity, 

d StowmarJcet Manufacturer, in Suffolk Report. 

Three 



ON HEMP. 7£ 

Three bushels and a half of good bright seed are sufficient for 
an acre Rev. Mr. Mills, in Suffolk Report. 



At Swineshead: Three bushels per acre. — At Haxey: Ten 
pecks a chain-acre. Lincoln Report. 



Not less than three or four bushels to an acre. 

English Farmer. 



Three bushels to an acre. Mills's Husbandry. 



The seed ought always to be sown thin, not exceeding two 
bushels to an acre ; and if you have the advantage of a drill plough, 
Still less will do. Abbe Brulles. 



Hemp-seed should be sown at the rate of fourteen pecks per 
acre. M'DonaWs Essay. 

If sown broad-cast, two bushels of seed for an arpent, or four- 
fifths of a Statute acre. Taylor's Instructions. 



From eleven to fourteen pecks per acre. 

A. Young. 



From twelve to sixteen pecks per 
soil. If sowed in drills, less will do. 



acre, according to quality of 

Argyleshire Report. 



9 



72 



ON HEMP. 



BENGAL. 

SUNN. 

Benares. — For one began twenty seers of seed, which, at 
four begahs per acre, according to the Resident's computation of 
the begah in Benares, make two maunds per acre. 

Commercolly.-— The quantity of seed required to sow a 
begah of land is computed to be thirty seers of sixty Sicca-weight. 
The Resident does not state the number of begahs which go to an 
acre in his Aurung; it may be pretty generally estimated in Bengal 
at three begahs to the acre. Ninety seers, or two maunds ten seers 
of seed, will therefore be required to sow an acre. 

Hurriaul. — Upon an average, if the seed is good, eighteen 
seers are sufficient to sow an acre. 

Hurripaul. — Estimating an acre at three^begahs, which is 
near the mark, it would require thirty-nine seers, Factory weight, 
per acre, the seed being sown very thick. 

Malda.— The Resident received various reports from different 
places on this point. In some they sow a less, in others a larger 
quantity of seed, and the two extremes are very wide of each other. 
To the northward, in the district of Malduar, near the hills, they 
sow one maund five seers per acre : lower down, one manud twenty 
seers : to the eastward, about Buddaul, three maunds thirty-six 
seers: in this vicinity, three maunds. I have compared the seed 

obtained 



V 



ON HEMP. 73 

obtained from these different quarters, and can perceive hardly any, 
if any, difference in the size of it. It is difficult, therefore, to de- 
termine what may be the precise cause of this variation in the 
quantity of seed sown in those places. The thicker the Sunn grows, 
the better ; the stalks then shoot up straight, without throwing out 
branches, the fibres of which are short and much inferior to those 
of the principal stalks. The cultivators here say, the stalks of the 
Sunn should grow so thick, as to prevent the air from passing 
through them : and this may be the best criterion for determining 
the quantity of seed which an acre requires. 

Keerpoy. — About sixty seers of seed for one acre. 

Rungpore. — About twelve chittucks of seed are computed 
to be sufficient for sowing one begah, which in British weight and 
measurement may be reckoned about four pounds and a half 
avoirdupoise to an acre. 

Bengal Board of Trade Cons. 2Uk Jug. 1792, 



DACCA DISTRICT. 

Bazetpoke. — The quantity of seed required for a begah is 
thirty seers. 

Teetbaddy. — The quantity required for a begah is thirty 
seers pucka (of eighty Sicca-weight to the seer) per pauky or 
begah. 

l Chaundpore* 



74 ON KEMP. 

Chaundpore. — One cauny of ground requires five maunds- 
of seed : one cauny is equal to twenty nuls in length, and ten in 
breadth.* 

Serampore. — The quantity of seed required for one began is 
one maund. 

Dacca Jelalpore. — The quantity of seed required for one 
begah is thirty seers. 

Momensing. — The quantity of seed required for a begah is 
one maund. 

Tipperah. — In this country the land is not measured by 
begahs, but caunies and drones. The dimensions of a cauny are 
twelve nuls long and ten broad, each nul being sixteen hauts. One 
cauny, according to the usage of this district, is equal to four 
begahs sixteen cottahs. One cauny requires one maund seventeen 
seers and a half of seed : one begah, twelve and a half. 

Sylhet. — The quantity of seed required for one begah is 
seven seers and a half. 

Jungypore. — The seed appropriated to one acre of 4840 
square yards, is calculated to be 1 Factory maund, 9 seers, 8 
chuttucks. This quantity the Resident supposes to be far too much; 
but was informed that the plant rising in a single slender stem would 
be laid by wind or rain, which is prevented by the stalks standing 

thick. 



A Nul measures 14 hauts j a haut is half a yard. 



ON HE M P. 



thick together, and mutually supporting each other. This is the 
reason assigned : but it is not satisfactory ; as, if one half of the 
seed were sown, the plant would not be drawn up to so slender a 
stem, would have more room to strike down sufficient, and would 
resist the weather better than when sown so thick as is the present 
practice. 

Keerpoy The estimated quantity of seed required to sow a 

began is five seers. 

Patna. — A begah consists of twenty cottahs, and a cottah 
consists of a square of six cubits, or nine feet, on each side. One 
seer of seed is required to sow a cottah, or twenty seers for a begah. 

The best Sunn is produced from stout and tall stems, and there- 
fore the seed is scattered more abroad, about half a foot distant from 
each other. 

Chittagong. — One seer, or two pounds of seed, is sufficient 
for one cauny or begah of ground.* 

Board of Trade Consult. 14th Jan. 1793. " 

Radnagore. — Each begah takes sixteen seers of seed. 

Board of Trade Consult. 2d June, 1801. 

Commercolly. — Thirty seers per begah of Phool-Sunn. 

Twenty seers per begah of Boggy Sunn. 

Board of Trade Consult. 12th June, 1801. 

Keerpoy. Twenty seers per begah. 

Board of Trade Consult. 21 st July, 1801. 

* I suspect this to be an error. R. W. 
L 2 



7(3 



HEMP-SEED, 

THE PERIODS OF SOWING. 



The period for sowing Hemp is from the beginning to the end 
of April, and the best season is just after a gentle fall of rain. 

Chambers's Dictionary. 



The seed may be sown about the middle of April. 

Encyclopedia Britannica. 



It may be sown from the first week of April till near the end 
of May ; but the sooner the better, both for the Hemp and the 
seed. 

Sinclair. 



The time of sowing is from the middle to the end of April ; 
but it will bear being sown in all May. It is often found, that the 
early-sown seed yields Hemp of the best quality. 

Suffolk Report. 



The time of sowing is from the beginning to the end of April. 
If sown earlier, as the plants are almost as tender as French-beans, 

the 



ON HEMP. 



77 



the frost would greatly injure, if not totally destroy, them. The 
sooner (the season permitting) it is sown, the better ; though it has 
sometimes been deferred to the 15 th of May. 

Rev. Mr. Mills, in Suffolk Report. 



It is sown about the middle or end of May . 

Lincoln Report. 

The whole month of April is the proper season for sowing of 
Hemp. 

Complete English Farmer. 

In Russia, Prussia, Poland, &c. Flax and Hemp are generally 
sown at the same time, viz. between the 15 th of May and the 10th 
of June. 

Durno. 

The season for sowing it begins not much before April, and 
does not last beyond the end of June. The diversity of soils in 
the same province, and the inconstancy of seasons, in France, oc- 
casion this difference : and so long a season for sowing is the more 
necessary, as it gives an opportunity to sow the same field a second 
or third time, when, by reason of various accidents, the first seed 
is lost. But, after all, the Hemp that is first sown, generally 
thrives best, and appears most beautiful, unless it is nipped by the 
frost, or spoiled by the heat, when it begins to spring and grow up, 
The day on which the plant springs, and a few that follow it, are 

generally 



i 



78 



ON HEMP. 



generally most critical : but in a short time it acquires strength 
enough to bear all the cross accidents that can befal it. A little rain, 
before or after the Hemp is sown, turns much to its advantage. 

Marcandier. 



The season for sowing Hemp depends, in a great measure, on 
the quality of the soil. In dry light ground, it should be sown as 
soon as the danger of frost or other inclemency of the weather is 
over, in the latter end of April or beginning of May, so that it 
may get up early, and by covering the ground prevent the danger 
of drought. In wet cold grounds, it should be sown later, that is 
to say, not till the sun has exhaled the too great moisture of those 
grounds ; and this may not be till the middle or even the latter end 
of May. The author of an Account of Hemp, in the Memoirs of 
the Royal Society of Agriculture at Tours, advises to sow Hemp 
even so late as the latter end of June, in case the season for it be not 
favourable sooner ; and he observes, that the crop sown then will be 
as plentiful, and of as good a quality, as if the sowing had not been 
delayed so long ; especially if a very dry season does not come on 
immediately after. The truth of this is evinced by the experience 
of those who are obliged to sow a second, and sometimes a third 
crop, when their former sowing has miscarried, through the incle- 
mency of the weather, and particularly of frost, which is a great 
enemy to Hemp. Another reason, too, which he assigns in favour 

of 



ON HEMP. 



79 



of late sowing of Hemp, is, that the husbandman, by this means, 
is afforded an opportunity of destroying the first growth of weeds, 
whicli would choke the Hemp, if it were sown before they had 
eome up. 

Mills's Husbandry.. 



The season for sowing varies, according to the soil, weather, and 
convenience of the cultivator, extending from the 25th of March to 
the 15th of June. 

Abbe Brulles. 



Your ground being cultivated in autumn, will, by the winter 
frost, be ready to receive your seed by the latter end of March or 
the beginning of April. The moon being on the wane, or declin- 
ing, is a fit season to sow your seed. 

England's Improvement. 



Hemp should never be sown sooner than the beginning of 
April. 

M l Donald's Essay, 

The best time for sowing Hemp is between the 1st and 20th of 
May, according as the season is favourable. AVhen it is sown, it 
should be carefully guarded against birds, till firmly rooted in the 
ground. 

Taylor's Instructions^. 



80 



ON HEMP. 



The seed is sown in the month of May, by some cultivators a 
fortnight sooner than by others; and both incur different risks, 
Those who sow early have to fear the spring-frosts, which are very 
hurtful to the plants newly sprung-up ; and those who delay the sow- 
ing too long, have to fear the droughts, which sometimes prevent 
the Hemp-seed from vegetating or coming up. 

Du Name!.. 



It is desirable to sow early, as, where this is the case, the crops, 
by becoming more strong and vigorous in the early part of their 
growth, the Hemp withstands the various operations that are after- 
wards performed upon it, in a much better manner than would other- 
wise be the case. 

Donaldson's Modern Husbandry. 



BENGAL. 
HEM P. Cannabis sativa* 

TIME OF SOWING. 

The season for sowing Hemp is from April to the beginning of 



June* 

Mr. Fleming.— B eng. Cons. 5lh May, 1801. 



The 



ON HEMP. 



81 



The seed should be sown about the beginning of the periodical 
rains; or earlier, if there have been frequent showers. 

In many parts of Bengal, particularly where the land is so low 
as to remain humid through the dry weather season, Hemp thrives 
luxuriantly during the cold season : but the water is then too cold 
for macerating the plants to the greatest advantage. One day in 
June, July, or August, has more effect in loosening the bark, than 
eight in December, January, or February ; consequently, the pro- 
longed immersion injure^ the quality of the Hemp much. The 
rainy season is therefore preferable for the cultivation and macera- 
tion, even if the plant grew better during the cold ; which is by no 
means the case, particularly on lands elevated above the level of the 
annual inundation of the low rice fields. We must therefore con- 
tent ourselves with one crop in the year; for it is a very false notion, 
though a prevailing one, that the fertile fields of Asia produce 
at least two crops annually.* As well might we say, that the fertile 
lands of England yield at least two, because a well-managed garden 
near London, or some other large city, will produce repeated crops 
in the year. So in India, by great care and industry, a spot here 
and there will produce two or more crops. The burning heats of 
Asia, while they last, are as unfavourable to vegetation as the frosts 
of winter in Europe. 

Dr. Roxburgh's Essay.— Board of Trade Cons. A2th Sept. 1801. 

* The Resident of Malda speaks of two, and even three* crops of Sunn 
being produced in the year. 

M 



82 ON HEMP. 

SUNN. 

Benares Is sown about July. 

Hurripaul the 10th of May. 

("The Phool in June, 

COMMERCOLLY < 

(The Boggy in October. 
Hurriaul In April. 

Malda, 

Round the Factory October to middle of November. 

In the adjacent country in June. 

Rungpore in April. 

Board of T rade Cons. 24th August, 1792, 



DACCA DISTRICT. 

Bazetpore ...... Is sown in October and November. 

Jelalpore October and November. 

Momensing October. 

Chaundpore October and November. 

Serampore November and December. 

Tipperah October. 

Sylhet October and November. 

Jungypore ............. all June. 

Keerpoy 



ON HEMP. 33 

Keerpoy Is sown in April. 

Patna June. 

Chittagong , April and May. 

Bengal Board of Trade Co?is. 14th Jan., 1793. 



It is sown from the beginning of June to the end of July. 

Mr. Fleming. 

It is commonly sown from the commencement of the rainy 
season to the middle of July ; after which it requires no further at- 
tention, till it is ready to be taken up. 

I am informed, there is a variety of the Crotolaria juncea culti- 
vated up the country, which is commonly sown in October and No- 
vember, and is ready to take up in February and March. From the 
diiference of season in which it is cultivated, it might be found to be 
of considerable advantage, both in respect to obtaining a greater 
quantity if required, and convenience of preparation ; for, no 
doubt, the dry is much preferable to the wet season for that 
purpose. - 

Mr. Douglas, Bengal Consult. Mh Mar}, 1801. 



Chittagong, — The Resident says, his predecessor stated, in his 
letter of the 9th October, 1792, the season for sowing it to com- 
mence in October,' and of reaping in March. But he finds it is not 

m 2 sown 



84 



ON HE MR 



sown till from the end of September to all October, and the crop is 
gathered in all February. 

In the upper provinces in Bengal, and throughout Bahar, he 
adds, he is informed that the seed is sown in May, and the crop ga- 
thered in September. The cause of the difference in the time of 
cultivation he supposes to be, that the soil round Chittagong is too 
damp, and that, during the periodical rains, the face of the coun- 
try is under water. 

Commercolly. — Phool-Sunn is sown from the beginning of 
November to the middle of December; it will not thrive if sown at 
any other season. 

Boggy-Sunn is sown from the 20th of May to the 20th of June ; 
it will not thrive if sown at any other period. 

Dacca. — Sunn is never sown in Dacca earlier than in October. 

Rungpore. — Sunn (Crotolaria jancea) is sown in October and 
November, and taken up in February and March. This season is 
the most favourable, on account of the convenience it affords for 
the preparation. There is no variety of it cultivated here. 

Board of Trade Consult. 12th June, 1801. 

Luckypore. — Sunn is sown here from September to Novem- 
ber, and gathered from February to April. The country is too low 
for its being grown in the rainy season. 

Board of Trade Cons. 11th July, 1801. 

Malda. — In some of the Aurungs two crops are afforded in 

the\ 



i 



ON HEMP. 



85 



the year : one is sown in June and July, and cut in September ; 
the other is sown in October and November, and cut in March and 
April. One person stated an instance of a third crop being pro- 
duced. The September crop must always be small, owing to the 
annual inundation. The inundation helps the March and April 
crop by fertilizing the land. This crop is the most productive, and 
the best in quality. 

Rungpore. — The seed being sown here in October, and in 
most parts of Bengal in April, the Resident doubts whether the 
Rungpore seed would thrive in the other parts. 

Board of Trade Consult. 11 th Sept. 1801. 

Golagore. — The seed sown between the 20th of May and 
15th of June is more productive than that sown a fortnight or three 
weeks later. The latter flowers sooner, and grows to little more than 
half the height. The plant appears to be equally good. 

Board of Trade Co?is. 25 th Sept. 1801. 

COAST OF COROMANDEU 

In the Rajahmundy Circars, where a considerable quantity of 
Sunn is grown, the seed-time is at the close of the rains in October. 



86 



HEMP- SEED, 

DIRECTIONS TO BE OBSERVED IN SOWING. 

The seed must not be buried, but only just covered in the 
ground. Where Hemp is chiefly cultivated for the seed, it is much 
the best way to sow it thin ; and if the plant ii raised on ridges, or 
horse-hoed, the seed will be better than what is obtained from broad- 
cast Hemp : and with respect both to seed and Hemp, it will be 
. best to drill it in equidistant rows, and to hand-hoe it, which will 
improve both the land and the crop, and less manure will suffice 
than when it is sown by hand. 

Chambers's Dictionary. 

By sowing Hemp in drills, a stronger or coarser bark or fibre 
will be produced, than by sowing it broad-cast. When the Hemp 
is required for cordage, this method is to be adopted. The seed 
should be sown in drills about two feet asunder. 

Sinclair. 



The seed should be gently and lightly harrowed in, and the 
birds kept off the land till the plants appear. 

Suffolk Report. 

-Sow 



6n hemp. 



87 



Sow it reasonably thick, observing not to lay it too deep in the 
earth ; but cover it close and light, with the mould as fine as it can 
possibly be made by repeated harrowing. It must also be attended 
very carefully, especially about an hour or two before sun-rise, and 
the like before sun-set, until the seed appear, to preserve them 
from the birds and other vermin, who are greedy devourers of it. 
If, after harrowing it, you spread over it some pigeons'-dung, it 
will be useful, provided it be done in moist weather ; for without 
moisture the great heat of such dung would burn the seed. 

I England's Improvement. 

When the seed is sown, it must be put under ground ; either 

by means of the harrow, if the field has been tilled with the 

plough ; or with the rake, if it has been done by hand : but, 

however well the seed may be covered, you must not lose sight 

of your field till the Hemp gets fairly above ground. The birds, 

especially the pigeons, are enemies which must be continually kept 

at a distance. Though they do not scratch, nor do the least injury 

to corn newly sown, when the seed is well covered, yet they are 

still dreadful to Hemp-seed, which rises quite out of the ground 

when it springs, whereas all other sorts of grain lie concealed in it ; 

and therefore the pigeons, perceiving the Hemp-seed at a distance, 

» 

when it rises and discovers itself, pick it up, and all is lost. This is 
almost the only attention which Hemp-grounds require from the 
seed time till the harvest. 

You 



ON HEMP. 



You must neither sow too thin nor too thick (general rules 
cannot be given on this head ; much depends on the ground and on 
the seed : it is certain, however, that it is sown thicker than corn). 
Both excesses have inconveniences that inseparably attend them : 
yet the danger of sowing too thick is the greater ; for, besides the 
loss of the seed that might have been saved, the ground, being 
drained of a great part of its juices while the seed is springing up 
and getting out of the earth, will not have enough left to bring it 
to perfection. By this means, a great many stalks, especially those 
that are latest in springing up, are quite choked ; or if this should 
not be the case, yet still they languish for want of nourishment, and 
the Hemp produced has neither the strength nor the length it would 
have acquired, had it been sown thinner. 

Marcandier. 

The husbandman should be particularly attentive to the 
weather when he sows Hemp; for the season then should neither 
be too dry nor too rainy. If either of these is the case, he had 
better defer his sowing: though he should, if possible, always 
choose a time just after a gentle fall of rain. When the soil is 
deep and in fine order, it is best to sow this seed thick, especially 
if the Hemp be intended for fine uses ; because the plants run 
most into height when they stand closest together, and their fibres 
are then by much the finer. 

Mills's Husbandry. 

When 



ON HEMP. 



89- 



When the land is sown, go through the whole with a shovel, 
and with it make little paths at seven feet distance from each other; 
so that, at the proper season, you may reach the male plants, which 
you will have occasion to pull first, without trampling on the female, 
which must stand at least a month longer to ripen the seed. 

Abbe Bridles. 

The sowing must be postponed as long as possible, while there 
is any appearance of nig^t-frosts, such being very prejudicial. And 
it is also to be observed, that, although those parts of the countries 
in question, * which produce these articles in the greatest quantities 
and perfection, are situated within the same degrees of latitude as 
England or South Britain, the climates of the two countries bear 
little or no resemblance to one another ; the transitions from winter 
to summer being so much more instantaneous, besides that the 
heat and cold are far more intense in the former than the latter, that 
they cannot be said to enjoy any of the advantages of the English 
spring and autumn ; but that this seems to be amply made up to 
them, in the first place, by the very great degree of nourishment 
which their soil receives from the fat, slimy, nitrous substance, 
whichj on the melting of the snow, remains on the surface, impreg- 
nating and opening the ground to the depth of three or four inches, 

N according 



* Russia, Prussia, Poland, &c* 



90 ON HEMP. 

according to its internal quality ; and secondly, by the succeeding 
superior warmth and serenity or constancy of the weather : circum- 
stances, to which the general stability, or rather equality, that may 
have been observed to have prevailed in the crops of those countries 
as, no doubt, in a great measure to be ascribed. 

Durno. 

It should be sown in drills, or small ridges, about three feet 
broad, with two feet intervening between the ridges. 

McDonald's Essay. '■ 

Hemp should be sown broad-cast, after the rate of two bushels 
of seed for an arpent, or four-fifths of a statute-acre. The seed 
should be harrowed in by a harrow, with small iron teeth set close. 

Taylor's Instructions. 

The Hemp-seed should be sown thick ; for without this pre- 
caution the plants grow too large, and the bark becomes too woody, 
and the fibres too hard, which is a great defect. Care must, how- 
ever, be taken, not to sow it so thick, that the plants would choke 
one another. It is therefore necessary to observe a medium, the 
knowledge of which is easily acquired by practice ; and indeed, in 
general, Hemp-grounds seldom are too thinly stocked with plants, 
unless when part of the seed has been destroyed by frosts, drought, 
or other accidents. 

Du Hamel. 



ON HEMP. 



91 



BENGAL. 

Hemp Proper. — Cannabis saliva. 

The seed should be sown as thick as the Natives do the Sunn, 
on a rich, free soil, which has been well manured, and repeatedly 
ploughed and harrowed. 

Instead of sowing the seed very thick, as ought to be done 
when the plant is intended for cordage, the Natives sow it very thin, 
and afterwards transplant the young plants, placing them at a con- 
siderable distance from each other, often nine or ten feet. By this 
mode the plants grow up to a very large size, a great deal too large 
to admit of the stalks being bruised for heckling. This mode of 
cultivation is also too expensive, if used with the view of preparing 
Cordage from the plant. Mr. Fleming, Bengal Cons. 5th May, 1801. 



SUNN. 

Benares. — The seed should be sown in fair clear weather. 

Hurripaul. — When the ground is prepared, about the 10th 
May, the seed is sown very thick. The sowing should not be de- 
layed beyond seven days. 

Malda. — The seed should be sown after a fall of rain. The 
thicker it is sown, the better. 

Hurriaul. — The seed is sown by hand in the same manner 
as the English farmers sow wheat, &c. 

n 2 Rungpore. 



1 



92 ON HEMP, 

Rungpore. — The seed is strewed lightly over the ground in 
the month of April. Board of Trade Cons. 2Uh August, 1792. 

Jungypore. — The seed is sown when the rains set in, when 

the land is as wet as the situation will admit. 

Keerpoy. — The seed is scattered over the ground at pleasure, 
Patna.— As the best Hemp (Sunn) is produced from stout 

and tall stems, the seed is scattered at about half a foot distant from 

each other. 

Chittagong. — The seed is thrown or laid into the ground, a? 
fancy may direct. Board of Trade Cons. UthJan. 1793. 

The method of sowing in use among the natives appears to be 
perfectly good, both in respect to the growth of the plant, and for 
preparation in the European way. 

Mr. Douglas. — Bengal Cons. 5th May, 1801. 



03 



HEMP, 

MODE OF TREATMENT AFTER SOWING, AS HOEING, 

WEEDING, Sfc. Sfc. 



When the plants come up, they should be hoed out like 
turnips, leaving the plants twelve or sixteen * inches apart, and 
cutting down all the weeds. The crop will require a second hoeing 
about a month or six weeks after the first, in order to destroy the 
weeds; after which the Hemp will soon cover the ground, and 
prevent the growth of the weeds. 

Chambers's Dictionary. 

Hemp is esteemed very effectual for destroying weeds: but this 
it accomplishes by impoverishing the ground, and thus robbing them 
of their nourishment, so that a crop of it must not be repeated on 
the same spot. — It also possesses the further property of driving 
away almost all the insects that feed upon other vegetables; hence, 
in some places on the Continent, they secure their crops from these 
mischievous attacks, by sowing a belt of Hemp on any particular 
spot which they wish to preserve. 

Encyclopedia Britannica 

When 

"* The Encyclopaedia Britannica says, two feet. 



ON HEMP. 



When Hemp is sown broad-cast, all the weeds will be destroyed • 
but when sown in drills, they appear between the rows. The plant 
being arrived at the height of four inches, the field ought to be 
gone over with a horse-hoe, which will not only cut away the 
weeds, but, by throwing up the earth against the roots of the 
Hemp, will afford them additional nourishment and strength, and 
at the same time will clear the ground. This operation, therefore, 
may be repeated with much advantage, as frequently as may be 
necessary for destroying the weeds. , Sinclair. 

No weeding is ever given to it, the Hemp destroying every 
-other plant. Suffolk Report. 

At Swineshead, it is never weeded, as the Hemp itself 
destroys them all. 

At Haxey, the largest of the weeds are taken ouL 

Lincoln Report. 



Hemp does not need weeding. It is so swift a grower, and 
such a poison to all the weeds, that it over-runneth, choaketh, and 
destroyelh them. England's Improvement. 

Hemp requires no weeding. It even operates so far as a 
weeder itself, that by a crop or two of Hemp a foul piece of 
ground may be cleaned; the quickness of its growth, and the 

exclusion 



ON HEMP, 



95 



exclusion of the free circulation of the air about its roots, occasioned 
by the largeness of the leaves, killing or suffocating all sorts of weeds 
or under-growths. Duma. 

Hemp is so great an enemy to weeds, that some farmers, of 
no mean esteem for knowledge in their profession, sow Hemp upon 
their rank-growing soils, on purpose to subdue them. When the 
Hemp rises and branches out, it covers the ground so thick, that 
every weed is choaked that cannot keep pace with it in its growth. 
Docks, sow-thistles, thistles, and other rank-growers, should be 
hoed out, or plucked up, while the Hemp is in its infancy. In 
that state it may be trampled upon, and even rolled ; but when it 
begins to branch, it should be left to itself. Indeed, in very dry 
seasons, if watering is practicable, Hemp should be watered ; for 
which reason the soils that suit it best are those contiguous to lakes 
or slow running waters. It requires a continual supply of nourish- 
ment, but at the same time that nourishment must be tempered 
with a proportionable degree of heat. Miller advises hoeing, as 
soon as the plants begin to appear, and also thinning like turnips. 
Dr. Hill advises the horse-hoeing culture, and with some shew of 
reason ; for, as in Hemp there is always a double harvest, and in 
the first one part of the plants is to be pulled and the other left to 
ripen, his opinion is, that _the intervals between the rows give room 
for that operation to be performed with the least waste possible : and 
it must be owned, that where the plants grow promiscuously, as 

they 



96 



ON HEMP. 



they do in Hemp, a multitude of the later-ripe plants must be 
trampled down and destroyed in the pulling up of those that are 
first ripe. Hemp, therefore, appears to me to be one of those plants, 
to which the practice of the new husbandry ought to be applied. 

Complete English Fanner, 

When the ground is sown too thin, or by any accident the grass 
gets up and injures the Hemp, the superfluous stalks or weeds must 
be carefully pulled up, for fear they should be prejudicial to the 
rest. 

The Hemp-grounds which are situated on the sides of streams 
or rivers, or surrounded by ditches, may be watered in times of great 
drought. In countries where their situation will allow it, they are 
drenched by letting the water run in upon them. This labour and 
attention in the person who cultivates Hemp, often turns out to his 
advantage, and is well rewarded. Marcand&r. 



Though Hemp cannot be weeded without great hazard of da- 
maging the crop, because whatever plants of it are twisted-, bent 
down, or broken through inadvertence of the weeders, or by any 
other cause, never rise again ; yet, if the weeds are so numerous 
and rank as to endanger their smothering of the Hemp, it is neces- 
sary to root them out ; and the most careful persons must be em- 
ployed for this work, which, when rightly executed, is also attend- 
ed 



ON HEMP. 



97 



ed with this farther advantage, that the pulling up of the weeds 
loosens the surface of the earth, and thereby forwards the growth of 
the plants. Mills's Husbandry. 

In very dry seasons if will be proper to overflow the Hemp- 
grounds, if it can be done. To this end, the water may be let from 
the ditches, as is practised for rice-grounds. If any parts of the 
Hemp-ground are in danger of being burnt up* it will be advisable 
to water them, or perhaps rather the whole, in such case, even by 
hand. 

If by any accident the Hemp grows very thin, so as to be there- 
by in danger of branching out too much, and of becoming woody ; 
this should be an additional motive for keeping it perfectly clear of 
weeds, in order to let it remain for seed, which will be so much the 
better, the plants having stood thin. 

Du Hamel. 



Hemp requires no weeding ; and, indeed, the leaves and dust 
of it is of such a nature as to kill almost every weed. 

M'DonalcFs Essay. 

BENGAL. 
Hemp Proper. — Cannabis saliva. 
The plants require to be carefully weeded. Mr. Fleming. 

o When 



102 ON HEMP, 

this becomes general, then is the time to begin pulling. But the 
cautious planter will not trust to these signs only, but will examine the 
seed-vessels, and be sure that all the plants have shed their male dust, 

otherwise the seed in the latter crop will suffer considerably. 

Complete English Farmer. 



The ripeness of the male Hemp may be known from the farina, 
or powder, which it yields on agitation ; also from the leaves 
turning yellow, and the stems a whitish colour. The signs of the 
female Hemp being ripe, are the opening of the pods wherein the 
seeds are lodged, so much, that you may just perceive the seeds 
therein. They will have a brownish appearance. 

Taylor's ^Instructions. 

For what Du Hamel says on the Symptoms of Ripeness, see 
the head Pulling. 



BENGAL SUNN. 
In Bengal the Hemp is deemed ripe when the blossoms begin 
to fall. Vide the Head of Gathering. 



COAST OF COROMANDEL. 
In the Rajahmundy Circars the crop is cut in February, when 
the seed-vessels are fully formed ; at this time of the growth the 
Tellinga people reckon the fibre to be at its greatest perfection. 

Dr, Roxburgh, — Bengal Cons. 9th July, 18QI. 



103 



HEMP, 

THE MANNER OF GATHERING WHEN RIPE. 



The way of gathering Hemp, is by pulling the plant up by 
the root, after which it is bound up in handfuls or bundles. 

The first season for pulling is about the middle of August, 
when they begin to pull the male or fimble Hemp : but Mr. Miller 
says, it would be better to defer this for a fortnight or three weeks 
longer, till the male plants, which contain the farina fcecundans, 
have shed their dust, without which the seeds all prove abortive, 
produce nothing if sown the next year, and fetch no price at the 
oil-mills, because they are only empty husks without any kernel for 
yielding the oil; but they begin to decay after having shed their 
farina. The remaining plants, which are the female Hemp, 
are to be pulled a little after Michaelmas, when the seeds are 
ripe. 

Chambers's Dictionary. 



As there are two kinds of Hemp, the male and the female, of 

which 



100 



ON' HEMP. 



The maturity of the male plants is marked by their leaves be- 
coming of a yellow, and the stem of a whitish colour ; and they 
are readily distinguishable by being more slender, and not bearing 
seed. The female plant is not in a state to be pulled till a few days 
after Michaelmas. Sinclair. 

The time of pulling is about thirteen weeks after sowing. The 
leaves turning yellow and the stalks white are signs of its maturity. 

Suffolk Report. 

You will know that your Hemp is ripe when the stalk is grown 
white, or when you see the leaves fall downward and turn yellow at 
the tops ; for then it is full ripe. This will happen for the most part 
about the middle of July. 

England's Improvement. 

Hemp is never drawn until ripe, which is known by the stalks 
and pods changing colour, and the seed-grains becoming plump 
and hard, JDumo. 

Towards the end of July, the stalks that bear the flower, and 
are by some improperly denominated the female, begin to grow yel- 
low at the top, and white at the root ; the flowers fall, the leaves 
wither, and this is generally the sign of their maturity. 

Marcandier. 



The Male Hemp, which is the species that produces the farina 

fcecundans 



ON HEMP, 



101 



fecundans, ripens earlier than the female, generally by three weeks 
or even a month ; but the time of the ripening of either depends 
much on the nature of the soil. The Male Hemp shews its ripeness 
by turning yellow at top, and whitish at the bottom of the stem. 
But this sort in particular should be pulled rather before it is quite 
ripe, that is to say, while it is yet somewhat green ; for if it be too 
ripe, its fibres will adhere so strongly to the reed as not to be separa- 
ted therefrom without some loss; neither will they be soft, and con- 
sequently not so fit for domestic uses, as those of Hemp which is 
pulled before it has attained to a perfect maturity. 

The ripeness of the Female, or seed-bearing Hemp, is known, 
not only by the same signs as that of the Male, but also by the seeds 
beginning to turn brown, and by the capsules which contain them 
beginning to open. Mills's Husbandry. 

The Female [read Male] * Hemp, which is that which bears 
only flowers and no seed, is known to be ripe by the flowers fading, 
the farina fcecundans falling, and some of the stems turning yel- 
low. The Male \_read Female]* is known to be ripe enough by the 
stems becoming pale. If you stop till the tuft containing the seed 
appears ripe, or the stems turn brown, the Hemp will be in a great 
measure spoiled. Abbe Bridles. 

The male or karle Hemp always ripens first, and about the 
middle of August begins to drop its leaves and turn pale. When 

this 

* The Abbe" Brulles has changed the sexes. 



98 



ON HEMP. 



When the plants area few inches high they must be carefully- 
freed from weeds, Mr. Douglas.— Bengal Cons. 5th May, 1801. . 



SUNN. 

Hurriaul. — When the plants have got to the height of about 
eighteen inches the ground must be well weeded. 

Hurripaul. — It does not require weeding, the Hemp (Sunn) 
being set so close, and growing so thick, that nothing else can easily 
come up. 

Malda. — The ground should be well cleaned of weeds, when 
the plant is about nine inches high, and again when about one and 
a half or two feet high. 

Rungpore. — In about fifteen or twenty days after the plants 
rise, the ground should be carefully weeded. When the plants 
have risen to about a haut (half a yard) high, if they have come 
up too thick, they are transplanted to more open parts of the field ; 
when they have got three-quarters of a yard high, the ground 
should be again carefully weeded. 

Board of Trade Cons. 24th August, 1792. 



Jungypore. — It requires no weeding, as the plant soon over- 
tops and destroys grass or weeds by depriving them of nourishment. 
Patna.— It must be kept free from weeds. 
Chittagong. — The ground must be kept free from weeds. 

Board of Trade Cons. 14th January, 1793. 



99 



HEMP, 

SYMPTOMS BY WHICH IT MAY BE KNOWN WHEN IT 

IS RIPE. 



The signs of maturity in the male plants are the yellowness of 
the leaves and the whiteness of the stalks. 

The ripeness of the female Hemp is known by the same signs 
as that of the male ; as also by the seeds beginning to turn brown, 
and by the capsules which contain them beginning to open. 

Chambers's Dictionary. 



The Female [read Male] * Hemp is known to be ripe by the 
fading of the flowers, the falling- off of the farina fcecimdans, and 
some of the stalks turning yellow. The Male [read Female] * 
Hemp is known to be ripe by the stems becoming pale. But it must 
be remembered, that Hemp of any kind will be much less injured 
by pulling up the plants before they are ripe than by letting them 
Stand too long. Encyclopedia Britannica. 

The 



* The Editors have followed the Abbe Brulles in the error of changing 
sexes of the plants, 

o 2 



104 



ON HEMP. 



which the former [read latter] only produces seed, some regard 
must be had to this circumstance. In Suffolk the male and female 
are pulled together, about thirteen weeks after the sowing ; but in 
the Fens they are frequently pulled at different periods, in the 
manner recommended by the Abb6 Brulles, who, for the more 
easy accomplishment of it, directs that little paths should be made 
longwise through the field, at about seven feet distance from each 
other, to allow a passage for the person who pulls up the female 
Hemp from among the other ; the latter requiring to stand more 
than a month after for the purpose of ripening the seeds. 

After the Hemp is pulled, it must be taken in large handfuls, 
cutting off the roots (though this is not absolutely necessary) ; the 
leaves, seeds, and lateral branches being dressed off with a wooden 
sword or ripple. It is then to be made up into bundles of twelve 
handfuls each, in order to be steeped. 

Encyclopedia Britannica. 

About the middle of August the male plants will be ready for 
pulling, which period is called the first Hemp-harvest. The female 
plant is not in a state to be pulled till a few days after Michaelmas, 
when it is to be taken up and dried. 

It is proper that a part be kept separate for seed, which requires 
no particular cultivation, further than the male being allowed to 

stand 



I \ 

ON HEMP. I05 

stand a little longer on the ground, that it may attain its full perfec- 
tion, and be enabled to shed the farina with full effect on the female. 

Sinclair. 



Hemp is pulled thirteen or fourteen weeks after sowing : the 
wetter the season, the longer it stands. It bears a dry season better 
than a wet one. No distinction is made in pulling between the 
male and female, or, as it is denominated in some places, the 
Fimble and the Seed Hemp. In the Cambridgeshire fens they are 
frequently separated, which may arise from the Hemp being 
coarser and the stalk larger. The price of pulling it is one shilling 
a peck of the seed sown, or eleven shillings an acre, and beer; but 
if it comes in harvest, the expense is higher. It is tied up in small 
bundles, called baits. Suffolk Report. 



The time of pulling is about the beginning of August, or 
more properly speaking, thirteen weeks after sowing. The male 
and female Hemp is pulled together : indeed, when the crop is 
thick, it is impossible to separate them. The expense of pulling 
is generally estimated at one shilling per peck, according to the 
quantity originally sown. "When it is all taken up, it is bound in 
small bundles, with bands at each end, to such a bigness as you can 
grasp with both hands. It is then set up like wheat in shocks, till 
the seed will freely shed, when it is threshed out. 

Rev. Mr. Mills, in Suffolk Report. 
p At 



10 6 ON HEMP. 

At Swineshead, they pull it up at Old Lammas, leaving the 
strongest for seed. They used formerly to take the male from the 
female ; but this is left off. It is bound in sheaves, and left in 
shocks of five for a week. If the crop is kept till spring, it is tied 
in larger bundles, and stacked and thatched. It is reckoned, how- 
ever, preferable, to set it at once ; for which purpose they tie it up 
in gleans single. 

At Haxey, the finable, or male Hemp, is pulled about the 
20th of August; the female is left till Michaelmas. The fimble is 
bound into sheaves or beats. As for the Hemp left in the field, it is 
pulled about Michaelmas, and bound in sheaves or shocks on the 
land, where it is suffered to remain for ten days. 

When pulled, bind it in sheaves, leaving them in shocks of 
five for a week : then clean the plants from dirt, and turn the 
sheaves, and set them together again. If they keep the crop till 
the spring, they bind it in larger bundles, and stack and thatch ; 
but it is considered preferable to set it at once, for which purpose 
they set it in gleans single. Lincolnshire Report. 

When ripe, it must be pulled up by the roots, and not cut as 
corn. But if you intend to save any for seed, you must reserve 
the principal stalks, and let them stand till the latter end of August, 
or sometimes till the middle of September ; and then, when you 
observe the se£d turn brown and hard, gather it; for if suffered 
to stand longer, it will shed very much. England's Improvement. 

In 



ON HEMP. 



107 



In the first pulling of Hemp, care must be taken in selecting 
the male, and preserving as many of the female plants as possible 

Unhurt. Complete English Farmer, 



In Russia, &c. those who proceed systematically, and refine 
most on gaining the best possible quality, make a distinction be- 
tween the male and female, or such stalks as do and such as do not 
bear seed-pods, drawing the latter,* or female, earlier than the 
former, viz. as soon as the stalks only begin to change colour, and 
always taking care to keep them separate, as rendering a finer harle 
than the male. Dumo. 



Towards the end of July the male plants are pulled up, and 
made up into small bundles, which are ranged upon the verge of 
the field ; taking care, as much as possible, to place the stalks, which 
are of the same length, equal at both ends, but especially at the 
roots. It must also be observed, in pulling up these stalks, not to 
hurt those which are to stand and bear seed. This done with pro- 
per caution, will give new strength to the plants that are left on the 
ground; for this kind of weeding not only delivers the Hemp- 
ground from a great number of plants that exhausted its strength, 

p 2 and 

* As this is different from the practice in England, where the male is first 
pulled, I am inclined to think Mr Durno is also in an error respecting the sexes. 



108 



ON HEMP. 



and injured and cboaked one-another, but is also an operation use- 
ful to the rest that remain, by raising and stirring up the ground 
about them. Marcandier. 



As soon as the male Hemp is ripe, it is pulled stem by stem, 
and with caution not to injure the female, which must remain on , 
the ground some weeks longer, that is to say, till it also is ripe, and 
then it must likewise be pulled stem by stem. 

When the female Hemp is let stand till its seed is perfectly ripe, 
its bark becomes woody, and so coarse, that no future operation 
can bring it to a proper degree of fineness : for this reason it is ge- 
nerally pulled before the seed is quite ripe. But as it is manifestly 
the husbandman's interest to sow none but the best seed, he ought 
not to grudge the sacrificing of the goodness of a small part of his 
Hemp to the superior advantage of obtaining perfect seed, by letting 
a proper number of these plants stand till their seeds have attained 
full maturity. The judicious M. de Chateauvieux, whose attention 
extended to the most proper method of cultivating every useful 
plant, did not neglect so important an object as the quality of the 
Hemp employed in cordage, and the means of obtaining its seed 
in the greatest perfection. However, not having had opportunities 
of continuing his experiments long enough to draw certain con- 
clusions from them, he invites all those who have the public good 
at heart, to make experiments which may lead to the utmost im- 
provement of the culture of this plant :■— *' But," says this friend 

of 



ON HEMP. 



of mankind, " these motives of ceeonomy are vastly inferior to 
*' the inestimable advantage of saving ships, their cargoes, and 
'* their crews, which often depends on the strength of their sails 
" and cables." 

On the 20th of April, 1753, he sowed six beds with his drill- 
plough, placing six rows in each bed. The beds were seven feet 
wide, and the soil strong, but in very fine tilth. He treated his plants 
with great care, according to the principles of the new husbandry ; but 
both that and the ensuing year were unfavourable to the growth of 
Hemp. However, he observes in general, that his plants were five or six 
feet high, that their stems were large, and their bark very thick and 
strong. They were very fruitful in seed, especially the two outer 
rows, which had profited most by the hoeing. M. Aimen from 
forty plants of Hemp raised in the common way, and which might 
be deemed fine ones, had only a pound and a half of seed ; but a 
single plant, which grew by itself, yielded him seven pounds and 
a half of much better seed than any that is produced in the common 
way. From hence it results, that it must be of great advantage to 
the husbandman to set apart a spot of ground, sufficient to rear 
thereon as many plants of Hemp, as will afford him seed enough 
for the purpose of sowing, and to cultivate them according to the 
principles of the best husbandry. Mills's Husbandry. . 



When ripe, draw out carefully the whole of the Female [read 

Male] 



110 ON HEMP. 

Male] Hemp, breaking, as little as possible, the stems of that which 
you take, or of that which you leave. 

When the Male [read Female] Hemp is come to a proper 
degree of maturity, you must get a sufficient number of hands, so 
as to expedite the business, because such as remains standing after it 
is ripe, will have its rind fixed to the reed, the gum turned hard and 
dark-coloured ; and the whole operation of drawing becomes 
difficult, troublesome and ungrateful. 

Immediately as the Hemp is gathered, take it in as large hand- 
fuls as you can, either cutting the roots off, or leaving them on 
as you like best (I prefer cutting them off). Hold the root-end 
uppermost, and with a wooden sword dress off the flowers and 
leaves, which you leave on the field, since they assist in manuring 
it : pick out any weeds or spoiled plants ; put twelve handfuls or 
gripes together to make a bundle. 

Abbe Bridles. 



Hemp, for ordinary, grows to a prodigious height; and the 
early Hemp is generally ready for pulling about the middle of 
August, or sooner ; but the seed, or female Hemp, is a month later 
of being ripe. M'DonaWs Essay. 

Hemp is later than Flax in ripening. The Male ripens four or 
five weeks before the Female. They are both less injured by pulling 
too soon than too late. Argyleshire Report. 

When 



ON HEMP. 



Ill 



When the male Hemp is well ripened (which will be about the 
second week of August), let the persons who pull the Hemp clear 
passages through the field, of about two feet wide, and six feet 
distant from each other, by pulling the male and female Hemp 
which grow promiscuously within the said space of two feet. Let 
the Hemp thus plucked be carried to other ground in the neighbour- 
hood, and spread thereon, about an inch thick. After it has been 
thus laid for two or three days exposed to the sun and air, turn it 
with a small pole, and let it lie a day or two more. Then bind it 
up in bundles, about the thickness of your thigh, or near three 
quarters of a yard in circumference : and either proceed to water- 
rot it, as it is termed, immediately, or house it from rain, till a 
\more convenient opportunity offers for the purpose. 

After having done this, proceed to pull up the male Hemp, 
which is left growing amongst the female Hemp, leaving the latter to 
grow with as little injury as possible until the seed is ripe. The male 
Hemp may be dried in the intermediate space of ground above- 
mentioned, and made up into bundles as the former. 

The female Hemp should remain growing till the seed is fully 
ripe, It may probably be the first or second week in October be- 
fore the female plant should be pulled. It should then be carefully 
pulled, to avoid shedding the seed, and bound in small bundles, and 
set to dry with the root ends downwards. Taylor's Instructions. 



About the beginning of August the Hemp-stalks which do not 

bear 



112 



ON HEMP. 



bear seed (by some improperly termed Female Hemp, but which 
we shall call the Male) begin to turn yellow at top, and whitish at 
the bottom of the stem. As soon as these indications of ripeness 
are perceived, the women enter the Hemp-ground, and pull all the 
male stalks, which they arrange in handfuls along the border of the 
field. In doing this, care must be taken to injure the female Hemp 
as little as possible, as it must remain on the ground some time long- 
er, for the purpose of ripening the seed. 

In making up the Hemp, care must be taken that the stalks, 
which form each handful should be as nearly as possible of an equal 
length ; and the roots, in particular, should be placed as even as 
possible : this done, each handful is to be bound with a stalk of Hemp. 

If - the female Hemp is suffered to stand too long, the rind be- 
comes too woody ; the consequence of which is, that the fibres ob- 
tained from it are coarser and harder than those from the male. 
When the Hemp-growers perceive that the seed is properly formed, 
they pull up the female Hemp, and arrange it in handfuls in the 
same manner as the male. On the other hand, Hemp must not be 
pulled too green. When this is the practice, the fibres are, it is 
true, more supple, but the ropes made therefrom are not so lasting 
as when obtained from riper plants. 

Du HameL 



\ 



ON HEMP. 



113 



BENGAL. 

HEM P. Cannabis sativa. 

When the Hemp flowers, which it does in about four months 
after being sown, the stalks should be pulled up and exposed a day 
or two to the sun. They are then to be tied up in bundles for wa- 
tering. 

Mr. Fleming and. Mr. Douglas. — Bengal Cons. 5th May, 1801. 



SUNN. 

Benares. — At the close of the rains, or about the end of Sep- 
tember, the Hemp (Sunn) is ready for cutting. 

Hurriaul. — After sowing, nothing further is required till the 
month of August, by which period it is at its full growth, about 
five feet, and the flowers make their appearance. It is then, ex- 
cept what is intended to be reserved for seed, cut down as close to 
the ground as possible, and laid in ridges; care being taken to place 
the plants so that the leafy parts lie one upon another. In this state 
they continue ten or twelve days, or until the leaves begin to rot and 
fall from the stalks on being shaken. 

Hurripaul. — In about six weeks after sowing, it will be seven 
and a half or eight feet high, at which time it bears a yellow flower. 
At this time it is cut down, except what may be left for seed, the 
fibres from which will be inferior. 

q Malda. 



ON HEMP, 



Malda. — In February the Sunn is in flower. Some gather it 
-in this season, when the fibres are softer, and the quality finer than 
when it is in seed, which happens in March and April. The way 
of gathering the seeded Hemp (Sunn) is to cut off the head of the 
plant about a foot or a foot and a half from the top, for the purpose 
of obtaining the seed, and to pull up the remainder of the plant 
which yields the Hemp (Sunn) by the roots. Such is the practice 
round the Factory, but in the adjacent country the practice is diffe- 
rent. The Hemp being ready, which happens in September, is 
not pulled up by the roots, but cut down ; because, from growing 
in the rainy season, the stalks are much larger and stronger: Some 
cut it in flower, some in seed. The Hemp being cut, is left three or, 
four days in the field, during which time the greater part of the 
leaves drop off. The last-mentioned Hemp (Sunn) which is sown 
in June and gathered in September, is both finer and stronger than 
the other. 

Rung pore. — In about four months from the time of sowing 
the plants will have arrived at maturity ; at which time their height 
will be about five hauts. The plants which are reserved for seed are 
generally allowed to remain a few days longer on the ground than 
the rest, till the seed begins to loosen in the husk. 

Bengal Board of Trade Cons. MthAug. 1792. 

DACCA 



ON HEMP. 



115 



DACCA DISTRICT. 

Bazetpore. — About five months after the plants come up, on 
their being sufficiently matured, they are taken up by the roots and 
tied in bundles. 

Teetbaddy. — Chaundpore. — On the falling of the blossoms, 
which is in about four months at Teetbaddy, and in about five or six 
months at Chaundpore, the like process is pursued. 

Serampore. — On cutting the plants the tops are separated and 
thrown away. 

Dacca- Jelalpore. — In three months after sowing, the plants 
are cut down. 

Momensing. — The plants blossom in Maug or Faugun 
(January or February). After blossoming, the plants are cut 
down. 

Tipperah. — In five or six months after sowing, or in Chyte and 
Bysaak (March and April), the plants are cut down and made into 
bundles. 

Sylhet. — In about four months after sowing, the plants arc 
cut and tied in bundles. 



Jungypore. — The plant is cut when in flower, from the 
20th of September to the 10th of October, being sown in all 
June. 

q 2 Keerpoy, 



116 ON HEMP, 

Keerpoy. — In Ausseen (September) the Sunn is cut. 

Patna. — The Hemp (Sunn) grows to the height of six or 
seven feet, and when it begins to flower, about November, it is 
cut down. That reserved for seed is ripe and cut in January and 
February. 

Chittagong. — When the plant is come to maturity, which 
will be in about four or five months after sowing, it is pulled up by 
the roots and tied in small bundles. 

Board of Trade Cons. \AthJan. 1795. 



The plants are pulled in September, and the article is prepared 
for market by the end of the month. Mr. Fleming. 

When the seed is nearly ripe, the plants should be pulled up. 

Mr. Douglas. 

When the seed is nearly ripe, the plants should be pulled up 
and exposed to the sun two or three days to strengthen their fibre, 
and then be tied up in bundles. 

Board of Trade Cons. 5th May, 1801. 

Commercolly— The plants of Phool-Sunn begin to seed from 
the beginning of March to the middle of April. They are pulled 
just before the seeds are ripe, and tied in large bundles for watering. 

The seed of Boggy-Sunn ripens from the 25th July to 30th 
August. Board of Trade Cons. 12th June, 1801. 

Keerp OY. 



ON HEMP. 



117 



Keerpoy. — In general the Riotts pull the plant as soon as the 
flowers are dropped (in August and September), leaving only a little 
in the corner of the field to stand for seed. 

Board of Trade Cons. 2\st July, 1801. 

The Natives cut the plant only when the seed is ripe : this they 
acknowledge prejudices the fibre. "When they would have it good, 
for their own use and not for sale, they cut it in flower, which gives 
both a cleaner and a stronger fibre. 

Mr.Frushard. — Board of Trade Cons. \2thSept, 1801. 



118 



HEMP, 

METHOD OF OBTAINING THE SEED. 



When the female Hemp is gathered, they let it stand eight or 
ten days in the air, that the seed may dry and ripen ; after which 
they cut off the heads, or beat out or thresh them to get the seed. 
The seed which falls out the easiest is the ripest and best, and should 
therefore be reserved for sowing in the next spring ; and as to that 
which remains in the heads after this operation, it is got out by 
combing the heads on the teeth of a ripple, which pulls off the 
leaves and husks of the seeds, and the seeds themselves, altogether. 
These are gathered in a heap, and left in that condition for a few 
days, in order to their heating a little, after which they are spread 
out to dry : then they are threshed, and the seeds are separated by 
winnowing and sifting. This second seed is much inferior to the 
first, and accordingly it is used only for extracting the oil from it, or 
feeding of poultry. Chambers's Dictionary. 

The leaves are to be stript off with a wooden sword, as are 
likewise the seed, the branches which grow laterally, and even the 
tuft bearing the seed at the top : but if this latter should not come 

off 



ON HEMP. 



119 



off clear, it must be chopped off with an iron instrument. All this 
must be done over a cloth, or on a spot of ground in the field, well 
levelled and smoothed, to avoid losing any of the seed : and it is 
proposed, and said to be successful, to leave the seed abroad, 
covered with the leaves, &c. to preserve it from birds, that it may 
heat and be threshed in the field, and the leaves and chaff strewed 
on the land. This certainly saves trouble, and is practised in many 
places ; but it seems to me to be slovenly, and I should rather take 
it home to a barn : but I would certainly burn all the roots, and 
such parts as are too hard to rot easily, and strew the ashes, as well 
as the leaves, and such other parts as will easily rot, upon the 
ground ; as these matters are reckoned to go half-way towards 
manuring the land for the next year's crop. Abbe Brulles. 



Some are of opinion, that, by putting the clusters which con- 
tain the Hemp-seed to heat and sweat, the quality is improved ; as 
many of those seeds which would otherwise wither and die away, 
may thus arrive at perfection. This, however, seems to be very 
•problematical, as there are no experiments which shew that seeds, 
when separated from the vegetable producing them, have any 
power to meliorate themselves. ■> Encyclopedia Britannica. 



At Haxey, in Lincolnshire, the seed, when dried, is threshed 
on a cloth in the field. Lincolnshire Report. 

For 



120 



ON HEMP. 



For gaining the seed of the Hemp, the stalks, as soon as 
drawn, are carefully set up on their root-ends against walls, until 
they are perfectly dry. The roots, and the tops as far as the seed- 
pods extend, are then cut off, and the former thrown away as use- 
less. The latter are immediately threshed out and cleaned. 

If the seed, instead of being immediately cleansed, is suffered 
to remain for any length of time in a foul, moist state, its colour will 
be spoiled, and its substance so much injured, that it cannot with 
safety be employed for sowing; nor will it, even when crushed, 
produce either the same quality or quantity of oil which it would 
otherwise have rendered. Bumo, 



In some places, to complete the ripening of the seed, round 
holes are dug about a foot deep, and three or four feet in diameter, 
in different parts of the Hemp-ground, and the handfuls of pulled 
Hemp are set as close together as can be in these holes, with their 
seed-ends downward, and their roots uppermost ; after which, to keep 
them in this position, the whole is tied round with bands of straw, 
and the earth that was taken out of the hole is thrown up all around 
this great sheaf, so as quite to bury the heads of the Hemp, which, 
when thus covered, heat, by means of the moisture contained in 
them, in the same manner as a stack of green-hay, or a heap of 
dung. This heat completes the ripening of the seed, and disposes 
it the more easily to quit its husks; and when it has been brought 

to 



ON HEMP. 



121 



to this condition, the Hemp is taken out of the holes, where it 
would become mouldy if it were left longer in them. 

In other places, where the crops of Hemp are great, the hus- 
bandmen do not bury the heads of their Seed-Hemp in the man- 
ner above described ; but only lay it in heaps, with the seed ends 
one against another. 

Those who have only small crops of Hemp, spread upon the 
ground a cloth to receive the seed : others content themselves with 
spreading the bundles upon a clean and even spot of ground, with 
all the heads turned the same way. The seed-ends thus placed, are 
beaten slightly, either with a stick or a light flail. The seed which 
falls out easiest is always the ripest and best, and should therefore be 
reserved for sowing the next spring; and as to that which remains in 
the heads of the Hemp after this operation, it is got out by combing 
the heads of the Hemp on the teeth of a ripple, which pulls off the 
leaves, the husks of the seeds, and the seeds themselves altogether. 
These are gathered in a heap, and left in that condition for a few 
days ; after which they are spread out to dry, and then fthreshed, 
and finally the seeds are separated and cleaned by winnowing and 
sifting. This second seed is used only for extracting oil from if, 
or for feeding poultry and birds. 

As for the Hemp, it is carried to the steeping-place, to under- 
go the same process as the male Hemp. Du Hamd. 

R After 



122 



ON HEMP. 



After reciting what Mr. Du Hamel says as above, Mr. Mills, in 
bis Practical Husbandry, notices the following observations from the 
Memoirs of the Royal Society of Agriculture at Tours, " that it is 
hard to conceive, how an operation, which tends to bring on at 
least some degree of putrefaction, can ripen the seed : and there- 
fore this must be at best a very dangerous practice, especially as a 
seed so very oily as that of Hemp, and consequently so apt to be- 
come rancid, cannot but be liable to be rendered still more so by this 
degree of heat." 

It is also justly remarked in the said Memoirs, " that by the 
threshing of Hemp there is always danger of bruising some of its 
seeds, and that the bruised seed will not grow, though it may be 
fit for yielding oil. Nor is this all ; for by threshing out the seed 
there is a mixture of imperfect seed with that which is fit for sow- 
ing ; and this is the reason why husbandmen have always found it 
necessary to sow a greater quantity than would otherwise be re- 
quisite, in order to make up for the uncertainty of its growth." 

The method of separating the finest grains of wheat for sow- 
ing, by throwing the corn to a distance on a barn-floor, is equally 
advisable for obtaining the heaviest and best Hemp-seed, where 
proper care has not been previously taken to provide such. In this 
case, the ripple may be used to separate the whole of the seed from 
the plant, and this will prevent the inconveniences which arise 
from the threshing or beating out of the seed. Mills's Husbandry. 



In 



ON HEMP. 



123 



In the beginning of September, or rather when the seed appears 
to be well-formed, ripe, and ready to fall of its own accord, the 
Hemp is to be pulled and arranged in parcels, in the same manner 
as is directed for the male Hemp. Immediately after this, the 
Hemp must be put into proper places to be watered. These 
operations should be performed during the fine weather, with all 
the dispatch that time and weather will admit. Marcandier. 



The seed-pods may be cut off and dried upon frames. This 
mode will be found of great advantage to the Hemp, as the seeds 
and pods of it are of such a sticking, glueish nature, that the Hemp 
often suffers by sun-burning before the seed be sufficiently win. 
Besides, the operation of beating it off the husk must damage the 
Hemp before watering. 

At all times, after the seed begins to ripen, if it is not carefully 
watched, it will be destroyed by birds, as they are excessively fond 
of it. M c Donald 's Essmj, 



Avoid losing the seed in pulling or drying; and when the 
bundles are dry, you should have a wooden stool, with a sheet or 
blanket under it, and by striking the Hemp against the stool, to 
beat the seed from it into the sheet or blanket, breaking your Hemp 
as little as possible. 

After you have separated the seed from the Hemp, either by 

r 2 beating 



124 



ON HEMP. 



beating it as above, or by threshing it subsequently, you must be 
careful of the seed, particularly whilst it is new, to prevent its 
heating, which is best guarded against by frequently turning it. It 
should then be kept in a dry place, but not too close ; for the air 
will assist in preserving it. Taylor's Instructions. 



BENGAL. 
SUNN. 

MODE OF OBTAINING SEED. 

Hurriaul. — In the month of August the flowers begin to 
appear, and in October the seed is ripe. The pods which contain 
it are then cut from the stalks and hung up in houses, until they are 
thoroughly dry; the seed is then taken out of the pods, put in 
earthern pots, and kept in a diy place, until the season for sowing, 
and it is then, without any other preparation, fit for putting into 
the ground. 

Rungpore. — The heads containing the seed are cut off, and 
laid by a few days to dry ; after which the seed is cleared from the 
husk, by rubbing in the hand, and laid by, without any particular 
care, for the next season. 

Malda. — The way of gathering the seed Sunn is to cut off 
the head of the plant, about a foot, or a foot and a half from the 

top, 



ON HEMP, 



125 



top, for the purpose of seed, and to pull up the remainder of the 
plant, which yields the Hemp, by the roots. 

Board of Trade Cons. 2ith August, 1792. 



Keerpoy. — When the Hemp (Sunn) is fully grown, the see( 
is threshed out, dried, and laid by for future sowing. 

Board of Trade Cons, i^th January. 179$. 



12<5 



HEMP, 

AVERAGE PRODUCE. 



The average crops, when ready for the heckle, are from thirty- 
eight to forty-one stone of fourteen pounds each. 

Donaldson. 



In Norfolk, an average crop is about forty stone, value twelve 
shillings water retted, and nine shillings dew retted : on an average 
of seven years, eight shillings water retted, and six shillings dew 
retted. In Scotland, the produce is about forty stone, from ten to 
twelve shillings per stone. Dickson's Complete Farmer. 

An acre of Hemp on the best land yields from two to three 
quarters of seed ; and this seed, with the Hemp unwrought, is 
worth from £6 to j£s sterling, and if the Hemp be wrought, from 
«£l0 to «£l2, or more : but the male, or fimble Hemp, is not worth 

more than half as much as the karle, or female. 

Chambers's Dictionary. 

An acre, on a rich soiI> produces, on an average, thirty-six 
to thirty-eight stone, and nearly three quarters of seed. 

Encyclopedia Britannica. 

The 



ON HEMP. 



127 



The produce of an acre may, on an average, be reckoned 
forty-five stone. (The Suffolk stone is fourteen pounds and a half, 
at seven shillings and sixpence.) In 1795, ten shillings; in 1801, 
fourteen shillings. — Some crops rise to fifty-five and even more; 
and there are bad ones so low as twenty-five. If sold on the ground 
as it stands, it generally produces one shilling per rod, or «£8per acre. 

Suffolk Report. 

The soil and season make a very material difference in the 
produce and quality. An acre will produce from twenty-five to 
sixty stone : an average crop may be reckoned at about thirty-six 
or thirty-eight. The seeded Hemp is not so good by one shilling 
and sixpence, or two shillings per stone. 

The prices vary very much. Dew-ret Hemp, or Hemp retted 
by the dew, instead of water, sells from one shilling to eighteen- 
pence or two shillings per stone lower than water-ret. The present 
price [in 1797] of the best water- ret is about eight shillings and 
sixpence per stone ; but this is very high. 

A Stowmarkct Manufacturer, in Suffolk Report. 



In the state Hemp comes from the brake, tied up in stones, it 
will fetch from six shillings to seven shillings and sixpence per stone. 
In 1797 it sold as high as nine shillings. — The produce is so variable 
and uncertain, that in one season a rood and six perches of land has 

produced 



128 



ON HEMP. 



produced seventeen stone ; and another, with the same culture and 
manure, only twelve* Rev. Mr. Mills of Bury, in Suffolk Report. 



At Swineshead, in Lincolnshire, forty-five stone is thought a 
fair average crop ; fifty is deemed very good. 

At Haxey, forty stone is deemed a good crop : fifty is very 
rarely obtained : from thirty to thirty-five may be reckoned as the 
average. Many sell it by the acre. In peace, the price was JCS 
or o£3. 10^. per acre. It was last year [1798] £5. Price per 
stone from the breaker was in peace four shillings and sixpence or 
five shillings per stone : of late it has been from six shillings and 
sixpence to seven shillings. 

Produce of seed may be reckoned at from twelve to sixteen 
strike per acre : it has been six shillings. 

At Butterwick in the Isle, they manure for Hemp, and get 
fifty stone and upwards. The quality of the Hemp is best from old 
Hemp land : it is worth two shillings more per stone than from other 
lands. Lincoln Report. 



In England, 125lbs. of female [read male], and 375lbs. of 
male [read female] Hemp, and sixteen bushels of seed, per acre. 

Abbe Bruiles. 



Ten hundred-weight per acre. 

Mr. Tonge, in Annals of Agriculture. 

Sir 



ON HE M P. 



129 



Sir Joseph Banks, in his Letter to the Lords of the Committee 
of the Privy Council for the Affairs of Trade, dated the 30th July, 
1802, quotes Mr. Justice Elmsly of Canada, as calculating the pro- 
duce at a ton for four acres, which (Sir Joseph says) is the usual 
way of reckoning. 



BENGAL. 
SUNN. 

Benares. — One begah, in a favourable season, will produce 
about three maunds of Hemp (Sunn). 

The Resident does not give the produce of an acre ; but as- 
suming his computation of four begahs to an acre in Benares, it will 
be twelve maunds per acre ; about eight English hundred-weight. 

Commercolly. — The produce will be a maund and a half of 
six Sicca-weight ; at three begahs to an acre in Bengal, is about four 
maunds and a half per acre, or three hundred-weight. 

Hurriaul. — An acre of good ground, well prepared, will 
yield about seven and a half or eight maunds, or five hundred- 
weight. 

Hurripaul. — From seven maunds and a half to ten maunds 
and a half, according to the soil, or, on a medium, six hundred- 
weight. 

s Malda. 



ON HEMP. 



Malda. — On an average about two mauncls and a quarter per 
began, or six maunds and three quarters per acre; about four hun- 
dred-weight. In districts liable to inundation, the produce is little 
more than half as much as when the soil is high and good. « 

Rungpore. — On an average about four maunds per begah in 
its rough state, or about SOOlbs. per acre. 

Keerpoy. — About five maunds per begah, or fifteen maunds 

per acre ; equal to ten hundred-weight. 

Board of Trade Cons. 2ith August, 1792. 



DACCA DISTRICT. 

Bazetpore.- — A good produce, three maunds per begah, or 
nine per acre : six hundred weight. — A middling, two maunds and a 
quarter per begah, or six and three quarters per acre. — An inferior, 
two maunds per begah, or six per acre : about four hundred-weight. 

Teetbaddy. — If the produce is good, about three maunds 
per begah, or nine per acre : six hundred- weight. If indifferent, 
only from two to three maunds per begah, or from six to nine 
maunds per acre : from four to six hundred-weight. 

Chaundpore. — One cauny of land produces nine or ten 
maunds. 

Serampore. — A good produce is about two maunds and a 
quarter per begah, or six and three-quarters per acre : something 
more than four hundred-weight. 

Dacca- 



ON HEMP. 



131 



Dacca- Jelalpore. — From four and a half to five maunds, 
more or less, per begah ; or from thirteen and a half to fifteen 
maunds per acre : from nine to ten huud red-weight. 

Momensing. — About four maunds per begah, or twelve per 
acre: about eight hundred-weight. 

Tipperah. — About three or three maunds and a half per 
begah, or from nine to ten per acre : something more than six hun- 
dred-weight. 

Sylhet. — About twenty-six or twenty-seven seers per begah 
(about two maunds), or six maunds per acre : four hundred-weight. 



Jungypore. — 'Eight Factory maunds, seventeen seers, and 
seven chittucks per acre : about six hundred-weight. 

Keerpoy. — About three maunds per begah, or nine per acre : 
six hundred- weight. 

Patna. — About six maunds and a quarter per begah : about 
twelve hundred-weight. 

Chittagong. — If the ground is good,, about three or four 
maunds per begah, or from nine to twelve per acre ; if not, only 
two or three per begah, or from six to nine per acre ; from four to 
eight-hundred weight. Board of Trade Cons. UthJan. 1793. 

A begah will yield from two to two maunds and a half ; or 
from six to seven and a half per acre : from four to five hundred- 
weight. Mr. Fleming.— Board of Trade Cons. 5tk.May, 1801. 

s 2 A begah 



132 



ON HEMP. 



A begah of good plants will yield from one and a half to two 
maunds of dressed Sunn, or from three to four hundred-weight per 
acre. Mr. Douglas.— -Board of Trade Cons. 5th May, 1801. 

Commercolly. — From two and a half to three maunds per 
begah, or from three to four hundred-weight per acre. 

Rungpore. — From one to one maund and a half, or from two 
to three hundred-weight per acre : it seldom exceeds the latter. 

Board of Trade Consult, 1 2th June, 1801. 

Bauleah. — About two maunds per begah, or four hundred- 
weight per acre. Board of J rade Cons. 23d June, 1801. 

Soonamooky. — Two maunds the begah of eighty covids. 

Board of Trade Cons, llth July, 1801. 

Santipore. — Two maunds of eighty Sicca-weight per begah. 
Gollagore. — Fifteen begahsonly produced twenty-two seers, 
owing to the seed being bad. 

Board of Trade Cons. 22d Oct. 1801. 

Chittagong. — Has calculated each cauny of land at only- 
two maunds, though the produce is seldom less than from three to 
three and a half. Board of Trade Cons. 22d May, 1802. 



133 



HEMP, 

PROFIT ON CULTIVATION. 



Having thus traced the material through its various stages as 
a production of the soil, I shall close this part of the work with the 
following statements, by which it will appear how far it may be 
considered as a profitable article of cultivation. 



In Hemp countries, when the season is favourable, they have 
immense returns ; insomuch, that the profit arising from five or six 
acres is found sufficient to support a family. . M i Donald. 



The Abbe Brulles calculates the expences and profit of an 
acre of Hemp in England as follows : 

• Expences, 

Rent £l o 

Manure, the first year more than others ; but it is most 

advantageous to sow after a turnip crop : say .... 2 

Three times' ploughing and harrowing 018 

Carried forward 3 18 



,134 



ON HEM P. 



£3 


18 








10 








10 


6 



Brought forward 

Seed, two bushels (price unknown, but in France 5s.) . 

Pulling the female [read male] Hemp, and trimming . 

Cutting male, [read female] and trimming for putting in 

water 7 

Getting from reed, and washing the female [razrfmale] 
7lb. per diem, at nine-pence — 50 bundles, containing 
125lbs ' 13 6 

Getting the male [read female] from the reed, and wash- 
ing, 14lbs. per diem, at nine-pence — 375lbs 1 1 

Soap, lOlbs., at price in France, three-pence 2 6 

Threshing seed 2 6 

Total expences .... <£l 4 1 

Produce. 

Female [read male] Hemp, 125lbs., at only one shilling, 

but worth in the rough much more £6 5 

Seed, 16 bushels, at five shillings, supposed undervalued 4 

Male [read female] Hemp, 375lbs., at seven-pence half- 
penny per lb 11 14 

Faggots 1 o 



Total produce \£ c 22_ 19 

Total expences .... 741 



Total profit .. .. «£l5 14 11 



ON HEMP. 



135 



Profit, brought forward .... <£l5 14 11 
To which should have been added the bounty granted by 

Parliament of three-pence per stone, (a) R. W. . . 8 10 

Total £\6 3 9 

Suppose the expenses under-rated £l per acre, and the gain 
over-rated 15s.; there still remains £ 10 clear gain; to which 
is to be added, that the further improvement of the material in 
dressing and spinning employs the poor, and particularly wo- 
men and children, who are a heavy burthen to the farmer in all 
countries. 



In Suffolk the Account of an Acre may be thus estimated : 

Expences. 

Rent, tythe, and rate £l 10 

Manure, 25 loads, at Is. 6d. . , 117 6 

Three earths, at 4s. harrowing included 012 

Seed '. . 16 6 

Sowing . . 6" 

Carried forward .... £* 16 6 



( a) With regard to the bounty granted by Parliament, of three-pence per 
stone, I have been informed by several persons, that it has seldom or ever been 
claimed ; owing to its not being equal to the expence and trouble required in ob- 
taining it. ■ » 



V 



136 ON HEMP, 

Brought forward .... £± 16 6 

Pulling 12 10 

Watering 012 

Grassing . 10 

Breaking 2 12 6 

Carriage and delivery 5 

£9 8 10 

Produce. 

Forty -five stone, at Is. 6d £\6 17 6 

Expences 9 8 10 

Profit £l 8 8 

To which should have been added the bounty granted 

by Parliament of 3d. per stone .... Oil 3 

Total .... i7 19 11 

All accounts of this sort must be received with due allowances 
for many variations. The preceding was taken at Hoxne ; but at 
Beccles (where however the quantity cultivated is not equally 
great), a very different mode of calculation takes place, and rent 
is valued. 

Expences. 

Rent, tythe, and rates £4 

Manure 3 

'TlUcl^C • • t • • « » • * • •••• m m ■ * » • f • •••• 1 4* 

Carried forward .... ^8 4 



ON HEMP. 1S7 

Brought forward ^8 4? 

Seed, twelve pecks 116 o 

Pulling 19 

Watering ' 012 

Grassing 010 

Breaking . . . . 2 10 

<£l4 11 O 

Produce. 

Fifty stone, at 8*. £20 

Expences .. 14 11 O 

Profit £5 9 

To which should have been added the bounty granted by 

Parliament of 3d. per stone .... .... 012 6 



Total profit . . £6 1 6 

A further statement in the Suffolk Report, by the Rev. Mr. 
Mills, of Bury, and continued by Arthur Young, Esq. gives it as 
follows : 

Erpences. 

Rent of an acre of land j£l 

Ploughing, sowing, &c 10 6 

Three bushels and a half of seed (sold from Is. 4?d. to 

2s. 6d. per peck) at Is. 6d. per peck .... .... 1 1 

Boy keeping off birds, a week or more 1 6 

Pulling, at the rate of Is. per peck, according to the 

seed sown 014 



T 



Carried forward £3 7 



ON HEMP. 

Brought forward .£3 7 



Getting it in and out of water, turning and laying up 110 

Tithe and rates, suppose .... 6 

The lowest crop mentioned is forty-eight stone per acre, 



let us suppose only forty, breaking Is. 3d 


. 2 


10 





Total 


£1 


4 





Produce. 








Forty stone, tit Is. (a) .... .... 


£l± 








Parliamentary bounty, 3d. per stone . 


. 


10 







£14, 


10 





Expences .... 


7 


4 





Net profit per acre 


£n 


6 






From the Lincoln Report. 

AT SWINESHEAD. 

Expence. 

Three ploughings and harrowing , . . £o 15 

Seed * 015 

Sowing 6 

Pulling by the hundred (120) 1100, at Is. 6d 16 6 

Knocking and burning, at 6d. per hundred 5 6" 

Carried forward £1 12 6 



(a J Price of Hemp from 5s. €d. to 8s. per stone, generally 7s. 6d, In 
1795, 10s. ; in 1801, 14s. 



ON HEMP. J39 

Brought forward £2 12 6 

If tied five in one, it is 2d. per hundred ; or 6d. single 

tying at the root-end as well as at top 110 

Watering, casting 5 6 

Spreading, two women 2 6 

Putting in 2 

Sods and sodding 2 

Taking off sods and taking out 2 6 

Carting 5 

Twice turning . . 3 

Gathering 3 

Carting to barn . . . . 4 

Breaking, 45 stone 2 5 

Carrying out, Id, a stone . » 3 9 



Rent il 10 

No tithe — poor-rates 5 

Drainage tax 2 

1 17 







<£8 


r» 

j 


7 




Produce. 








Forty-five stone, at 6s. 


.. .... .... 


e£l3 


10 





Pulling, four stone at 2s. 6d. 


.. . .... ... 


. .. 


10 









<£14 










Expences .... 


• . • . 8 


9 


7 




Profit 


5 


10 


5 



T 2 



140 



ON HEMP, 



T» Cm. 1 1 , /» T 

Profit, brought forward . . . . 




10 


5 


To which should be added the bounty granted by- 








Parliament of 3d. per stone 





11 


3 


Total profit . . 


.... £6 


1 


S 


AT HAXEY. 








Expences. 












o 

V/ 





Xl clllUVvilJgj Id. a ILII1C •••• •••• • . • • t * • • 


... \j 


K 


o 


Aionnnn(T txxTf*\ \7£* lr\o/ic of* Qc 

iVXallUl lUg 9 IWclvc JUaUbj dl . ».,. • • • ■ 


• • • • X 


1 6 


o 

vy 


o(. ea, iwo suiKe ana a nan .... .... .... 


A 

. . \J 


ID 


n 
\j 






1 


o 


x u 1 1 u i g uy wunicu, iLiiiuiiii^ .... .... •••• 




5 




falling, IClLlllg, bUUUlugj UlloOUUIlJg, IdlvlIIg UUl, 


nnri 






ft"* 3 CI ri 1 11 DC 


rt 


K 

%s 




Spreading and turning „ 


O 


1 


o 


Gathering, binding, and leading home 





2 




Breaking, thirty-five stone at Is. 6d 


. . 2 


12 


6* 


Pulling the Female Hemp 





5 





Threshing and beating 


. . 


6 







, . : 


7 




Drying and stacking 





3 






Rent fl 10 , 

Tithes 8 

Parish charges .... .... .... 5 

2 3 



«£10 8 6 



ON HEMP. 1 41 
Produce. 

Thirty-five stone, at 7s <£\2 5 

Sixteen strike of seed 416" 

£11 1 O 

Expences 10 8 6 

Profit £6 12 6 

To which should be added the bounty granted by 

Parliament, 3d. per stone 8 9 

Total .... . . £l 1 3 

Round Diss, Lopham, 8(c. in Norfolk. 

Rent £ c 2 

Tithe 5 

Rate 5 

Ten pecks of seed, each Is. 6d 015 

Sowing 6 

Three earths % 012 

Five harrowings .... 2 6 

Ten loads farm-yard dung 2 

^6 

On an average it sells as it stands. 

Hemp selling from the break, at 6s. 6d. £S 8 

Expences .... 6 

Profit .£2 8 

Suppose 



142 



ON HEMP. 



Suppose the crop forty stone, dew-retted. 



Rent, tithe, and other expences, as before 


. . . . £6 








Pulling, spreading, turning, and tying .... 


1 


5 





Breaking, Is. 3d. per stone .... 


. . . 2 


10 





Produce. 


9 


15 





Forty stone, at 6s. 6d. 


12 


10 





Profit ' 


.... £2 


15 





To which should be added the bounty 








granted by Parliament, 3d. per stone .... 


.... 


10 





Total Profit 


• • • • 3 


5 





Another Account. 








Rent, tithe, and rate 


• » r * 3 









Manure 20 loads 5 

Five earths .... 1 5 

Harrowing 2 6 

Seed 10 pecks, at 2s 1 

Pulling 15 

Dew-retting and spreading 2s. 6d., turning 4s. 6d., get- 
ting in 5s 12 

Breaking 40 stone of 14lb, at Is. 6d 3 

<£l4 14 6 

Value, 8s. 6d. per stone £11 

Expences ,1414- 6 

Profit 2 5 6 

Bunching and Heckling per stone, 1*. 6d 3 

«£l7 14 6 



ON HEMP. 



143 



Value, at 10*. 6d .£21 

Expence 17 14 6 

Profit 3 5 6 

To which should be added the bounty granted 

by Parliament, 3 d, per stone 10 

Total Profit £3 15 6 

After another crop on a layer about Fritton, Bessingham, 
Palgrave, &c. it is stated thus : 

Rent, tithe, and rates £2 

Seed, 13 pecks, at 2s i 6 

Manure 5 0,0 

Three earths .. o 15 

Harrowing and sowing .... 5 

Pulling, retting, spreading, lifting, turning, binding, 

and housing 3 o 

Breaking 40 stone, at Is. 6d 3 o 

£15 6 

At Is. 6d. it only pays .£15. — r- — — 

In Russia, Prussia, and Poland, it is generally understood that 
Flax and Hemp render more profitable crops than any other sort of 
grain. 

Supposing a piece of ground put into the usual state of cultiva- 
tion for bearing a crop of Hemp, and that the other sorts of grain it 
would then be fit to carry are bailey and peas ; if we value the seed 

and 



144 



ON HEMP. 



and produce in the proportions which the prices of these articles ge- 
nerally bear to one another, the calculation will stand thus : 

Florins. 

Four sheffels of Hemp-seed would produce about ten stone of 

dressed Hemp, which, valued at six florins, will be worth 60 
And eight sheffels of seed, affl. 3 24 

Together, in Prussian money 84 

And deducting the seed which was sown, viz. four sheffels, at 
3 florins 12 

There would remain, as the gross produce, .... 72 

Now, if on the same extent of ground there could be raised 
three sheffels of bailey, rendering fifteen sheffels, value 
three florins each 45 

Deducting the seed, three sheffels at 3 florins . . ; 9 

There would remain, as the gross produce, .... 36 

Or, two sheffels of peas, rendering a crop of twelve sheffels, 

valued at four florins .... 48 

And deducting the seed, two sheffels at four florins .... 8 

There would remain .... 40 
as the gross produce ; which, allowing the tow of the Hemp for the 
straw of the barley and peas, shews a plus, on the gross produce of 
a crop of Hemp, against a crop of barley, of about fifty ; and of 
peas, of about forty-four per cent. 

It 



ON HEMP. 



145 



It is indeed true, that the cultivator, individually considered, 
does not gain the whole, nor perhaps any thing more than a very 
small proportion of this gross surplus : but whatever may remain to 
him as a neat profit, the whole is clearly a public gain ; since the 
excess goes for manual labour, necessarily incurred by the extra 
.means of cultivation. And this gain is of the more importance, as 
arising on articles of importation, on which the very existence of 
the nation depends. . Dumo. 

Estimate of the Produce and Expense of an Acre of Land, 
cultivated with Hemp in Nova Scotia. 

Produce. 

Ten hundredweight, at 35s. per cwt <£l7 10 

Expences. 



First ploughing, 7s. 6d. ; second and 



third, 8s .... 





15 


6 


Three harrowings 





6 





Two bushels of seed, at 12s 


1 







Sowing, covering seed, and water-fur- 








rowing .... 





5 





Pulling, eight days' work, at 2s. 6d. . . 


1 








Drying and bundling, two days, .... 





5 





Watering, grassing, drying, and housing 


1 









Carried forward 15 G 



u 



146 



ON .HEMP. 



Produce, brought forward .... ^17 10 

Expences, brought forward . . £\> 15 6 
Carting to and from the water, say one 

mile „ 10 

Dressing ten hundred-weight, five days' 

work per hundred-weight, Is. a day 5 

Rent of land 1 



Total Expence .. .... ^£11 5 6 

Clear profit per acre .... £ 6 4 6 

In this calculation abundance of labour is allowed, and large 
prices for that labour, particularly for the dressing, which is the hea- 
viest expence. In the winter season labourers might be paid and 
fed for half the wages allowed, and would soon, I think, do more 
work. Yet, after deducting all expences of land and rent here is 
a clear profit, exceeding the whole produce of an acre of the best 
wheat. W. C. Tonge, Esq. in Annals of Agriculture. 



BENGAL. 
SUNN, 

The Profit attending its Cultivation, compared with Grain, Cotton, 
Mulberry, Indigo, or other staple Productions of the Country, 
Benares. — The same ground being used for the Hemp, bar- 
ley, and wheat, it may be necessary to observe, that the former has 

been 



ON HEjVIP. 



147 



been hitherto less profitable to the farmer than wheat or barley ; for 
the price has been generally the same ; but a begah will produce of 
either of the latter about eight maunds of grain ; add to which that 
the straw is valuable, whereas in Hemp (Sunn) there is no more than 
about three maunds produced from a begah. 

The profit attending the cultivation of Hemp, compared with 
grain, has already been mentioned : but to draw a comparison be- 
tween it and cotton, indigo, or other staple productions of the coun- 
try, is very difficult to do with any degree of accuracy. 

It has yet only been cultivated for home-consumption, so that 
there is no saying how the price might be affected if it were to be- 
come an article of export ; and as it is cultivated without much risk 
or trouble, it is but reasonable to suppose, if it were to become so, 
that the cultivation would be increased ; and in proportion to the in- 
creased demand for it, the price would probably rise, in the same 
manner as the price of indigo has risen from sixty and seventy-five 
to one hundred and twenty and one hundred and eighty rupees 
per maund, and that of sugar from six to nearly eight rupees per 
maund. :•• 

Commercolly. — Hemp is cultivated here only by the fisher- 
men, for their nets and ropes. It is reckoned a very unprofitable 
article, and for that reason no more is cultivated than what is wanted 
for the above purpose. 

Hurriaul. — The following is a Statement of the Profit attend- 
ing the Cultivation of Hemp, compared with that of Grain. 

it 2 Hemp 



148 



ON HEMP. 



Hemp (Sunn.) 

S. Rup. An. 

Estimated produce per acre 8 7 

S. Rup. An. 

Deduct : Charges of ploughing, &c 1 8 

Cost of seed 12 

Rent of ground 1 8 

Charges of cutting and preparing 

for market 3 12 

7 8 

Profit per acre 15 



Grain. 

Estimated produce per acre 9 4 

Deduct: Charges of ploughing, &c 1 14 

Cost of seed 9 

Rent of ground 1 8 

Charges of cutting and preparing 

for market 4 11 

: 8 10 

Profit per acre 10 

Profit in favour of the cultivation of Hemp . . 5 



Hurripaul. — Land sown with Sunn yields a less profit than 
any other article would ; yet the Riotts will readily cultivate it, be- 

m cause 



ON HEMP, 



149 



cause it requires little labour, is of quick growth, and less depen- 
dant upon the seasons than other articles. 

Malda. — The following appear to be the rates of profit at- 
tending the cultivation of Hemp, and of the other staple produc- 
tions of the country. 



Hemp, from 
Rice .... 
Copass. . . . 
Mulberry 
Sugar-care 
Indigo. . 



Per Begah. 
Rupees. Rupees 

. 1 to <2\ 



x 3 

2-3 
5-6 
3 - 5 
H - 2 



Per Acre. 
Rupees. Rupees, 
or 3 to 71 

3 - 41 

6-9 

15 - 18 

9-15 

41- 6 

tides, such as 



Keerpoy. — The farmers prefer growing other an 
rice, mulberry, sugar-cane, because they are in more demand, and 
in consequence a greater advantage arises from them. 

The following is a statement of the expence of growing Sunn, 
and of the probable gain to the farmer. 

Rup. An. Pice. 



Rent of begah * 


2 








Hire of three ploughs. . 





6 





D? of ten coolies for dressing the ground with hoes 





12 


6 


Twenty seers of seed 


1 








Hire of fourteen coolies for cutting, washing, and 








cleaning the Hemp .... 


1 


1 


6 




5 ■ 


4 






150 



ON HEMP. 



Rup.' Ann. Pice 

Brought forward . . , f . 5 4 O 
Produce of a began, five maunds, at Rs. 1. 8. 7 8 

Gain 2 4 

Bengal Board of Trade Cons. 2Mh ~Angust, 1792. 



DACCA DISTRICT. 

Bazetpore. — The Chassars derive no profit from this article, 
and therefore do not cultivate it. The Jelluahs (fishermen), for the 
purpose of making nets, sow a sufficiency of it for their own occa- 
sions. They give the Chassars for rent and labour at the rate of one 
rupee four annas per begah : the Jelluahs also provide seed. The 
Chassars prepare the ground and sow the seed : the Jelluahs watch 
the plants and reap the harvest. The Chassars then sow ouze-paddy 
on the ground. 

The expence per begah of a Hemp-ground is as follows : 

Rup. Ann, 

Rent and labour of Chassars 1 4 

Watching, taking up the plants at the time of harvest, 

separating the Hemp, and other expences 2 8 

Seed . . . . . . . . . . . . .... .... .... .... 1 8 

5 4 

The labour of cultivating grain is greater than that of Hemp, 
but not the profit. 

Teetbadddy. 



ON HEMP, 



Teetbaddy.— .After the expence of cultivation is paid, the 
Chassars derive a profit at the rate of from I R. 8 A. to 1 R. 12 A. 
per puky. The labour of cultivating Hemp is less than that of 

A. 

grain or coppas, and the profit greater. 

Chaundpore. — The expences attending the cultivation of a 
cauny of Hemp-ground (Sunn-ground) are as follows : 

Rnp. Ann. 

Seed 4 12 

Rent for twelve months (deducting for six months not 

applied to the cultivation of Hemp (Sunn) ....... 3 

Ploughing 7 

Cooly-hire - 3 

17 12 

After defraying these charges, the proceeds of the sales of the 
Hemp leave the Chassars a profit of three or four rupees per cauny. 
On the same ground, grain is sown six months of the year. 

Serampore. — Grain is less profitable to the Chassars than Cop- 
pas, and Coppas than Hemp (Sunn). The following is a statement 
of the expence and profit attending the cultivation of a begah of 
Hemp (Sunn) : 

Rup. Ann. 

Rent .... 1 

Ploughing, &c .... . • 2 4 

Seed 2 

Total expence per begah . ♦ . . . . 5 4 

The 



152 ON HEMP. 

Rup. Ann. 

Expence, brought forward .... 5 4 

The produce, about two maunds ten seers, selling on 

an average at three rupees per maund, yields .... 6 12 

Leaving a profit per began, after paying the expence of 

cultivation 1 8 

But a began of grain yields only a profit of four annas; and a 
began of coppas a clear gain of only twelve annas. 

Dacca-Jelalpore. — The profit arising from the cultivation 
of coppas is greatest. Next to that is the profit of Hemp (Sunn) ; 
and after Hemp (Sunn) the profit of grain. 

Momensing. — The Chassars (husbandmen) do not cultivate 
Hemp ; that is done by Jelluahs (fishermen) for their own occasions. 

The expences of culture are estimated as follow : 

Rup. Ann. 

Ploughing .... 12 

Seed 1 4 

Coolies .... 14 

Rent 1 o 

Total 3 14 

The profit remaining after paying the charges is supposed to be 
2 Rupees 2 Annas per begah. The profit of grain is not superior 
to that of Hemp (Sunn). 

Ti pperah. — The quantity of Hemp sown is small, but the 
profit is considerable. It is not inferior to the profit arising from 
the culture of either coppas or grain. 

Jungypore, 



ON HEMP. 



155 



Jung yp ore.— An acre of Ghore-Sunn is estimated to yield to 
the cultivator, after defraying the expences of rent, ploughing, cut- 

R A G C 

ting, &c. a clear profit of current rupees 3.3.4.2. The land 
appropriated to its growth is by no means favourable for either 
grain, cotton, mulberry, or indigo ; nor would any of them pro- 
duce a profit equal to the Ghore-Sunn in such situations. 

The following is a statement of the expence attending the cul- 
tivation of an acre of Ghore-Sunn. 

' Maunds. Seers. Chittucks. 
Seed required 1 9 8 





Rup. 


Ann. 


Gun. 


CW 


Cost of seed 


. . . 2 





9 


2 


Ground rent 


.. 1 


12 


14 


1 


Charges of preparing the land 


. . 1 


11 


16 


3 


Cutting and dressing 


. . 4 


,5 


12 





Total expences 


. . 9 


14 


12 


2 


Quantity produced 8 17 7 










Value of the Produce 


. 13 


1 


17 





Profit 


. . 3 


3 


4 


2 



Board of Trade Cons. 14th January, 1793. 



Rup. An. Gund. 

Keerpoy. — The profit per began being .... 3 5 10 
is more than that of grain by 1 9 10 

x 



154 



ON HEMP. 



Rup. An. Gund. 

But the profit of a begah of Hemp is exceeded by 

that of a begah of Mulberry by ........ 8 6 10 

D? Cotton 15 10 

D? Wheat 10 7 

D? Cullie 10 

D? Mustard-seed 9 18 

Bahar. — Produce and Expence of one Begah of Ground, 
yielding one Crop of Hemp (Sunn) per Annum. 



Expence. 

Rup. An. Pice. 



Eight ploughings 





12 





Twenty seers of seed 





9 





Fifteen weeders 





11 


6 







10 







Five for putting Hemp-plants in water .... 





5 





Ten for cleaning d? .... 





10 





Twelve boys for drawing out the sticks from the Hemp 





7 







4 





6 


Ground-rent for the whole year 


3 








Total expences 


7 





6 


Average produce, maunds 6 10, at 1 rupee 12 annas 








per maund .... • 


10 


15 





Profit per begah 


3 


14 


6 



ON HEMP. 



155 



Rup. An. Pice. 



The net profit of a begah of Flax is 


6 


1 


6 


D? . . 


Wheat 


1 


3 


9 


D? .. 


Indian corn and wheat 





7 





D? .. 


Barley on high lands 





14 





D? . . 


Indian corn and barley 





3 





D? .. 


Barley in low grounds, near tanks 










and by the sides of rivers. . 


3 


1 





D? .. 


Boot-gram 


1 


12 


3 


D? .. 


Indian corn and Boot-gram. . 


1 


6 


9 


D? .. 


Cotton, first sort . . .... . . . . 


6 


7 


6 


D? .. 


Cotton, second sort, and Indian corn 


2 


10 


3 


D? V. 


d? third sort, and d? 





S 


9 


D? .. 


Opium 


6 


11 


6 


D? .. 


Indian corn and Opium 


2 


11 


6 



In the above estimate, which is formed upon the calculation of 
a single begah through the whole year, the profit to the Riott on 
the cultivation of flax appears so superior to the advantage arising 
from cultivating many other articles, even the necessaries of life, 
that it might be supposed he would apply himself entirely to the 
cultivation of Flax and Hemp : but, as there is very little demand 
for these articles, the cultivation is in proportion ; and therefore it 
yields such a profit to the cultivator ; and a Riott, who cultivates 
one begah of Flax or Hemp, cultivates ten or twenty begahs of grain. 

Bengal Board of Trade Cons, \4tth January, 1793. 

x 2 Chittagong- 



156 



ON HEMP. 



Chittagong. — Rent of a cauny of ground per year, 

Ploughing, &c 

One man to watch .... 

Produce from 3 to 4 maunds at 2% to 2| Rupees per 
maund, say 31 at 2 Rupees 2 Annas, per maund 

Profit 



Rup. 


An. Pice. 


2 


o 


o 


1 








3 








6 








7 


7 





1 


7 






Board of Trade Cojis. litkJan. 1793. 



Soonamooky. — If it will thrive on poor lands of the rent of 
from one Sicca-Rupee to one and one-eighth per begah, the 
cultivation will be profitable ; but if the rich lands are required, it 
will only be a secondary object, as it must be grown on lands now 
in use for Cotton and Sugar-cane, and can only be extended at the 
expence of those articles, which, being profitable, are not likely to 
be abandoned for a precarious cultivation. Cotton and Sugar-cane 
are cultivated alternately ; the Resident thinks a crop of Sunn may 
be obtained between the Cotton and Cane, as is sometimes now 
done with Indigo. Board of Trade Cons, nth July, 1801. 



AN ESSAY 



ON THE 

CULTURE AJVJD> PREPARATION 

OP 

HEMP, &c. 

PART II. 



THE METHOD OF PREPARATION REQUIRED TO 
RENDER HEMP AND SUNN MERCHANTABLE. 



In the former Part, Hemp and the Sunn of Bengal have 
been considered as productions of the soil : I shall next proceed to 
a description of the various processes they undergo, before they are 
considered in a marketable state. 



OF DRYING, PREPARATORY TO STEEPING. 
For the seasoning of Hemp, as soon as you have pulled it you 
must lay it all along, fiat and thin, upon the ground, for a day and 

a night, 



158 0N HEMP. 

a nighty at the most, and no more ; and then tie it up in bundles, and 
rear them upright upon the ground, till you can carry them to the 
water, which is to be done as speedily as may be. 

England's Improvement. 



The karle Hemp, after pulling, is bound in bundles of a yard 
in compass, according to statute measure, which are laid in the sun 
for a few days to dry, when it is stacked up or housed till the seed 
can be threshed out. In drying, however, it may be sometimes 
necessary to use artificial means ; but where these are used, 
the utmost care must be taken ; Hemp, when dried, being exceed- 
ingly inflammable. As the Hemp thus dried must afterwards under- 
go precisely the same process as when fresh gathered, it is evident, 
that this operation ought never to be used but in cases of necessity ; 
as it is impossible to make Hemp, which has been dried previous to 
its being steeped or watered, so white as that which has been worked 
green. Chambers's Dictionary. 



When the first Hemp is pulled, it should be tied with a band of 
rushes, in pretty large sheaves, and setup on end, in shocks of four 
sheaves, where it must remain for twenty-four hours before it is 
watered. 

The female, or seed Hemp, is managed in the same manner ; 
only, on account of the seed, it must be allowed to stand longer 

before 



ON HEMP. 



159 



before it is put into water : but to remedy even that inconveniency, 
the seed-pods may be cut off and dried upon frames. 

M ( Donald's Essay. 



After pulling up the stalks of the Male Hemp, they are laid 
in the sun to dry the leaves and flowers, which, when well dried, are 
beat off by striking each handful against a tree or wall. Several of 
these handfuls are then put together, so as to form pretty large bun- 
dles ; and in this condition they carry them to the watering-place. 

Bu Ham el. 



Notwithstanding what Du Hamel has related, regarding the 
drying of Hemp before watering, I must observe, that it is a matter 
of doubt, whether this plant should be dried before it is steeped. Those 
who are for drying it first say, that the Hemp becomes thereby 
stronger than when it is steeped without having been previously dried. 
For my part, I confess, that this drying seems to me to be a need- 
less trouble; for, as it is necessary, in the steeping of Hemp, that a 
certain degree of putrefaction should arise, sufficient to destroy the 
texture of that glutinous substance which connects the fibres to the 
woody part of the Hemp, it certainly is more adviseable to lay the 
Hemp in the water as soon as can be after it is pulled ; because, the 
more there is of the natural moisture left in this glutinous substance, 
the sooner the putrefaction will begin. If, either by design or acci- 
dent, the Hemp has been dried, the putrefaction comes on more 

slowly 



160 



ON HEMP. 



slowly and more unequally and the fibres contract a hardness, which 
the steeping afterwards will not easily correct. 

Mills's Husbandry. 



In some places, after binding the small bundles with the worst 
stalks of Hemp, they expose them to the sun, to dry the leaves before 
the Hemp be watered ; and when they are dry enough, they cause 
them to fall off, by striking every bundle against a wall or tree, or 
the ground. But this does not appear to be the best method, because, 
besides that it multiplies toil and labour, it also exposes the Hemp to 
many accidents when the season happens to be rainy. The water 
which falls on the Hemp before it is dry makes it of a blackish 
colour, and full of spots. This inconvenience may be avoided, by 
observing a method, which to us appears to deserve the preference. 
When the Hemp is perfectly ripe (for this is a circumstance abso- 
lutely necessary to attend to), it must be put into the water as soon 
as it is pulled out of the ground : its gum, which then is in some 
respect in a state of fusion, will consequently be the more quickly 
dissolved. In this condition it will not require to be more than four 
days in the water ; whereas, when it is not watered till after it is 
dry, it is a matter of much greater difficulty to dissolve it, and it 
must be in the water eight or ten days, and sometimes more, ac- 
cording to the seasons. Warm water forwards the effect of watering, 
and cold retards it. Marcandier. 

After 



ON HEMP. 



161 



After the plant is pulled and bound, it should, if possible, be 
worked while green; the Hemp thus produced being much finer than 
that which is previously dried. The reason of this is, that the 
plant contains a great quantity of glutinous matter, which being 
once dried, agglutinates the fibres in such a manner, that they can 
never afterwards be perfectly separated. The Female [read Male] 
Hemp, however, is always in smaller quantities than the Male [read 
Female], and therefore, when the crop is large, it will be impossible 
to work the whole as fast as it is pulled or CUt. Encyclopedia Britannka. 



Hemp should be watered as soon as possible after being pulled ; 
because, by drying the mucilage hardens, and requires a more 
severe operation to develope the bark, than when macerated imme- 
diately after being pulled, and which must prove injurious to the 
fibrer i Sinclair. 



BENGAL. 

Hemp-proper — Cannabis saliva. 

When the Hemp flowers, which is in about four months after 
being sown, the stalks should be pulled up, and exposed a day or 
two to the sun, and then tied in bundles. 

Mr. Fleming, Gov.-Gen. Cons. 5th May, 180i. 



Y 



162 



ON HEMP. 



SUNN. 

Mr. Fleming, in describing the Method of preparing Sunn, 
as practised by the Natives, says, The plants, after they are pulled, 
are immediately put into water, where they are left to steep for 
three or four days. 

By this mode of putting the plants into water as soon as they 
are pulled up, without previously drying them in the sun, and by 
letting them remain so long a time in the water, the strength of 
the fibre is much diminished ; but the Natives use it to save trouble, 
as the fibres, in this way, separate easily, without requiring them to 
be bruised or heckled. 

Instead of this, he recommends the plants, after pulling, to 
be first dried in the sun for two days, after which they should not be 
let remain in the water more than forty hours. 

Bengal Cons. 5th May, 1801. 

Mr. Douglas also observes ; when the seed is nearly ripe, the 
plant should be pulled and exposed to the sun for two or three days to 
strengthen the fibre. It should then be tied up in bundles for water- 
ing. Bengal Cons. 5th May, 1801. 



Co mmer colly. — The Resident, after relating that there are 
two descriptions of Sunn, the Phool and the Boggy, says, the 
Phool-Sunn, after being pulled and bound, is immediately carried 
to the water, and then for a day or two kept standing on their root- 
ends 



i 



ON HEMP. 



163 



ends, in an inch or two of water, which allows the fibre to obtain a 
proper degree of firmness without suffering it to be parched by the 
heat of the sun. The next day they are immersed in water, &c. 
[See Watering.] 

The Boggy Sunn is treated in the same manner ; except that it 
is left to stand two days on its root-ends, as above. 

The fishermen [Manjees] and others, who cultivate the Sunn, 
all declare, that if they adopt the mode prescribed by Mr. Fleming, 
or, as it is termed, the European mode, in contradistinction to the 
method practised by the Natives, the quality will be injured and the 
produce lessened : for experience has taught them, that this is the 
case, whenever through want of time or neglect they have swerved 
from their own method, by either steeping it too little or too much, 
as also when the Phool-Sunn is left for two days standing in the 
water, instead of one. They say, when the latter is the case, the 
plant requires much longer soaking, and near a quarter of the Sunn 
is wasted, which I imagine arises from the plant containing a great 
quantity of glutinous matter, which on being once dried, aggluti- 
nates the fibres in such a manner that they can never afterwards be 
perfectly separated*. He conceives their mode of cultivating and 

preparing the Sunn to be as good as can be proposed. 

Board of Trade Cons. 1 2th June, 1801. 
Y 2 LUCKIPORE. 

* The Resident seems to have formed this opinion from consulting the En- 
cyclopaedia Britannica. Vide page J 61. 



164 



ON HEMP. 



Luckipore. — The Sunn for fishing-nets is dried more in the 
sun, and not steeped so long in the water, as the Sunn sold at market. 

Board of Trade Cons, llth July, 1801. 

Chittagong. — The Resident acquaints the Board, the Natives 
declare the fibres of the Sunn cannot be separated from the stem, 
with forty hours steeping, or if it is 'previously dried. He means to 
persevere, and hopes to overcome their scruples. 

Keerpoy. — The Resident says, the mode prescribed by Mr. 
Fleming does not appear, upon trial, to answer. He has tried it 
himself, and prefers the mode practised by the Natives. 

Santipore. — The Resident observes, he is fearful the Natives 
will not pay sufficient attention to the preparation in the mode pre- 
scribed : he therefore suggests a proposition, to purchase the plant, 
and prepare it at the Cooties. When dried, it will keep any length 
of time. The Board do not approve of the suggestion, as they fear 
the quality might be injured by drying*. 

Soonamooky. — The Resident thinks, that the strength de- 
pends on the previous drying, and that the period of steeping is 
immaterial. He sends samples that were all dried two or three 
days before steeping. Board of Trade Cons, nth Sept. 1801. 



Mr. Frushard, in a Letter to the Bengal Board of Trade, pro- 
nounces 

* "Supposed to mean, by remaining so long in a dried state after gathering, 
before it is worked. R. W. 



ON HE M P. 



165 



nounces the system of preparing Sunn, as laid down by Mr. Flem- 
ing, to be highly erroneous. His objections lie, first, to the drying 
the article before watering ; secondly, the insufficiency of the time of 
watering ; and, lastly, the manner of separating the fibre from the 
reed after watering. 

On the drying before watering he observes : " It is agreed by 
all, that the shorter time the plant is left in the water, the better it is 
for giving strength to the fibre. 

" Marcandier (says he) found three or four days sufficient, 
if the plant was put in green. They do no more here ; but the 
plant, when dried, requires eight or ten days. The same author 
considers it as a natural consequence, that when the plant is put into 
the water green, with the juices still circulating, their adhesive qua- 
lity must be less, and the separating the fibre from the reed, from 
the outer pellicle as well as from itself, must be greatly accelerated 
thereby." — Du Hamel, he observes, says it is a notion only that: the 
fibres gain strength by drying before steeping ; as the glutinous mat- 
ter which connects the fibre with itself, with the reed, and with the 
outer skin, is more readily dissolved by putting the plant into water 
as soon after it is out of the ground as may be ; and that when the 
plant is dried before putting into the water, the separation not only 
comes on more slowly, but more unequally *, which is a great de- 
fect ; 

» I do not find in the edition of Du Hamel (1747) that I consulted, any 
thing like this. I rather think Mr. Frushard should have quoted Mills as his autho- 
rity, instead of Du HameL- Vide pages 159 and 160. 



166 



ON HEMP. 



feet ; and that, moreover, some plants obtain a hardness by drying, 
that no soaking afterwards will correct : and be it remembered, as 
before stated, that the Hemp thus steeped has always been found to 
give more long Hemp, or of the first sort, after heckling, than that 
they got from the Riga, and that the ropes also made with their own 
Hemp last longer. 

How the custom of drying before steeping obtained, Mr. Frush- 
ard remarks, doth not appear. He conceives it to have originated 
in the paltry economy of saving the seed, which, after all, is found 
only to be fit for the feeding of poultry, and not proper for sowing, 
as has been proved by M. de Chateauvieux, who from forty chosen 
plants, taken from a plantation devoted to Hemp, obtained no more 
than a pound and a half of indifferent seed, whilst a single plant, 
which grew by itself, yielded seven pounds and a half of the very 
best. 

For the above reasons, Mr. Frushard objects to the mode of 
previous drying. The practice of the natives, says he, is against it. 
They are to be convinced. One of them said to him, to dry before 
steeping was doing to undo. Another observed, he wanted to make 
difficult what was easy. 

In a postscript to his letter, he quotes the authority of Abbe 
Brulles, in proof, that the Hemp should be watered when green ; as 
Hemp thus prepared is finer than when obtained from the plant after 
its having been previously dried. It is, he adds, allowed by all, the 
finer the fibre the greater the strength. In proof of his position, he 

produced 



ON H EM P. 



167 



produced a sample of Sunn, made by himself after the native me- 
thod, without drying previous to sleeping, but steeped for three days 
and nights, which he asserts is equal in strength to any that was ever 
seen ; as also a line made from Santipore Sunn, stronger, he adds, 
than the Hemp tried at "Woolwich./ 

and from this infers, that the Avant of strength is to be attributed 
more to the carelessness, impositions, and knavery of the natives, 
than to any radical defect in the growth and curing it. 

Alluding to this experiment, he says : It is self-evident, that 
drying before watering it will not do : nor will the fibre separate with 
the plants' remaining forty hours in the water ; three days and three 
nights are barely sufficient. 

The general practice, he observes, is to set the plant upright in 
the water, immersed about one-third only from the bottom, for one 
day before the complete immersion. 

In further confirmation of the inefficacy of drying the plant be- 
fore watering, he states, that on the 4th August, 1801, he obtained 
a small bundle of ripe Sunn, which he dried till the 6th. On that day, 
at gun-fire, he immersed it in the water. On the 8th he took it out, 
to try if the fibre would separate from the reed, but found it imprac- 
ticable. On the 9th he tried it again, but without effect. On the 
10th he found it separate from the reed, but not from itself; at the 
same time that it was quite perished. 

On the 18th August, he says: The drying system is again 
proved to be worse than nugatory. 



168 



ON HEMP. 



By another letter, dated the 26th August, 1801, Mr. Frushard 
stated to the Board of Trade, that the Sunn was then ready for cutting; 
but that the Riotts considered the orders for drying it before steeping 
and steeping it only forty hours, next to impracticable, from its taking 
so much more trouble to separate the fibre from the reed under the 
usual mode of practice. This, they said, would of necessity occa- 
sion the latter part of every parcel to remain so much longer in the 
water than the parcel they begin upon, that it must inevitably 
be over-steeped, become more tender, and likely to perish alto- 
gether. * 

The several objections urged against the system of preparation 
laid down by Mr. Fleming, as contained in the Letters above-stated, 
having been submitted to the perusal of that gentleman, he address- 
ed a Letter to the Board of Trade, in which he informed them, that 
on the subject of drying the plant before it was steeped, he adhered to 
his original opinion of its giving strength to the fibre. As to the 
period of watering, forty hours might perhaps be too short ; but 
certainly three or four days was too long : the exact period must be 
ascertained by experien . With regard to the method of separating 
the fibre from the reed, he thought it might be left to the discretion 
of the Residents, to relax or not in the method prescribed, as they 

should 

* These letters of Mr. Frushard were not recorded on the Board of Trade 
Cons, till the 12th Sept. 1801. I have inserted the above extracts from them in 
this place, because it appears Mr. Fleming had seen them before he made his 
Report, on the 8th Sept. 1801. 



ON HEMP, 



169 



should see necessary. The Board thereupon issued fresh Instructions 
to the Residents, in conformity to Mr. Fleming's Report. 

Board of Trade Cons. 8 th Sept. 1801. 

The Board also, on the 12th September, on which day Mr. 
Frushard's Letters are recorded, remark on the experiments made 
by him, that they think them useful, but offer some solid reasons 
why they do not deem them conclusive. 

It appears from the Board of Trade's Consultations, 12th 
September, 1801, that Mr. Frushard undertook to make a practical 
trial upon forty begahs of Sunn growing in his own neighbourhood, 
by preparing a part of it in the way prescribed by Mr. Fleming, 
and the remainder after the method practised by the Natives ; but 
that he failed, owing to the unfavourableness of the season. He 
made three efforts, but was disappointed each time by the rain, which 
prevented him from drying the plant before steeping; and again from 
drying the fibre after separating it from the reed, which made it tender. 
He remarked, that the plant in his neighbourhood was of a puny 
growth, being not thicker than good wheat-straw, and of course not 
well suited for comparison with the Up-country plant, which is so 
superior. 

He again cited the authorities of the French professors, as to 
the drying before watering not being productive of any good, while 
at the same time it is attended with many inconveniences, from its 
taking the water irregularly. 

z The 



170 



ON HEMP. 



The Board of Trade observe, that, upon a review of all that 
Mr. Frushard has offered on the subject, they see no reason to make 
any deviation from the amended instructions, as issued on the 8th 
September, 1801, to which he must pay due attention. 

Mr. Frushard, upon this, addressed the Governor General in 
Council, on the subject of his objections to the method of preparing 
Sunn, as laid down by Mr. Fleming, who transmitted a copy of his 
letter to the Board of Trade, and desired to be furnished with their 
sentiments thereon. The substance of the Board's Reply will be 
found in a subsequent part of this Work, where the whole of the 
reasonings, both for and against the system, will be brought forward 
in one point of view. 

Rungpore. — The Natives now think, that from the plant being 
put so soon into the zvate?; and kept so long therein, the Sunn may be 
weakened. 

Soonamooky.— The Riotts, at first, declined to engage in the 
new mode of preparing Sunn. They were of opinion, that it 
would be impossible to separate the fibre from the stem, after the 
first drying had taken place ; but being at length convinced, that 
their ideas on this head were erroneous, hopes were entertained, that 
they would have prepared it properly; but, an inundation taking 
place, succeeded by rains, the drying plan was prvented. The 
experiment, nevertheless, has been tried by some, but on the worst 

of 



ON HEMP. 

of the plant. It has convinced them, that it can be done, and that 
the Sunn is Stronger. Board of Trade Cons. 1st January, 1802. 

Dacca. — The superiority of the Sunn made at Amerabad is 
partly owing to the good quality of the soil, and partly to its being 
steeped in the clear water of the Megna, which is fresh at Amerabad. 
The plant was steeped only about twenty pars (two days and a half) 
more or less, but not exposed to the sun before or after drying. 

Board of Trade Cons, nth July 1802. 



172 



HEMP, 

WATERING, or, as it is sometimes termed, RETTING, 



In the watering of Hemp, Mr. Rainbeard, of Norfolk, has a 
contrivance, by means of which it is deposited in the pit without the 
necessity of a single person being wet. The pond is an old marl 
pit, with a regular slope from one side (where the Hemp is prepared) 
to the depth of about eight feet from the other side in the slope 
above the water. The Hemp is built in a square stack, upon a frame 
of timber, of such a height as will float and bear a man without 
wetting his feet: this is slid down upon the frame into the water,, 
and when floating drawn away; a person on the opposite bank 
drawing the floating stack to the spot where it is to be sunk, and on 
which it is built to the requisite weight. He finds it does soonest at 
the bottom, and would not object to sixteen feet of water. By 
this contrivance he can put in a waggon-load in an hour. The 
sheaves are taken out in the common manner, sheaf by sheaf : but 
here a further improvement is wanted, which may probably be 
effected by some simple contrivance, on the principle of the lever^ 
or some other mode equally easy in the application. 

Arthur Young. 

After 



ON HEMP, 



173 



After the Hemp is pulled and made up into bundles, it is im- 
mersed in a pool, or other stagnant water, where it must remain five 
or six days to rot the bark so that it may the more easily be separated 
from the reed. A stream of running water would do the business 
much better; but this is prohibited by law, * as it is found to im- 
pregnate the water with its injurious qualities. 

Chambers's Dictionary,. 



The steeping of Hemp is absolutely necessary, in order to sepa- 
rate the bark, which is properly the Hemp, from the reed or woody 
part. In Suffolk, this operation is called water-retting. But some- 
times a mere exposure to the air is substituted in its place, turning 
the Hemp frequently during the time it is exposed ; this is called 
dew-retting ; but the former method is universally deemed prefera- 
ble. Dew-retted Hemp is generally stacked and covered during the 
winter. In January and February it is spread upon meadow-land, and 
whitens with the frost and snow ; though it is always much inferior 
lo the other, and proper for the coarser yarns only. 

The length of time required for steeping Hemp is various ; a 
complete knowledge of it can only be obtained by practice. Standing 
water is preferred, and the same water will steep Hemp three times 
during the season ; but the first has always the best colour. 

The slenderest Hemp requires the most saoking. The opera- 
tion is known to be finished by the reed separating easily from the 
k a rk. Encyclopedia Britannica. 

I anx 

* Vide Act 33 Hen. VIII. ch. Li, and 6 Geo. Ill, 



174 



ON HEMP, 



I am of opinion, that Hemp should be watered as soon as possi- 
ble after being pulled, because by drying the mucilage hardens, and 
requires a more severe operation to develope the bark, than when 
macerated immediately after being pulled, and which must prove 
injurious to the fibre. The male plants, therefore, should not be 
kept till the female plants are pulled, nor should they be steeped to« 
gether ; because the male being more delicate han the female, the 
fibre will be disengaged by a less degree of fermentation. I recom- 
mend stagnant water for Hemp. Sinclair. 



Hemp is always water-retted. Clay-pits are preferred to any 
running-water. The pits require being cleaned out once in seven or 
eight years. An acre of three small waggon-loads are laid in one 
bed. They will water five times in the same hole ; but it is thought 
by some too much. If it is neceesary to wait, they pull as the hole 
is ready, not cruising to leave it on the land after it is pulled. 

It is generally four days in the water, if the weather is warm ; 
if not, five: but they examine and judge by feeling it. The ex- 
penses are from twelve to fifteen shillings per acre, Suffolk Report, 



Hemp, when left for seed, is seldom water-retted ; but, I am 
of opinion, it would be better if so done. It is generally stacked 

and 



1 



ON HEMP. 1Y3 

and covered during the winter, and is spread upon meadow-land in 
January or February. If the season suits (particularly if covered 
with snow) it will come to a good colour, and make strong coarse 
cloths. It is much inferior to Hemp pulled in proper time and 
water-retted. 

The custom of many places is to dew-rett their Hemp, that is, 
to spread it on meadow-land as soon as pulled, and turn it frequently ; 
but this is a very bad method of retting it, as the bark will not come 
off completely : it therefore requires more violent means of bleach- 
ing the yarn, and consequently diminishes the strength. It is like- 
wise much sooner injured in rainy seasons than Hemp water-retted. 
Water-retting is performed by binding the Hemp in small bundles 
with the under Hemp when pulled, and, as soon as may be, placed 
in rows crossing each other in the water, and immersed. Standing 
water is deemed the best. It requires four, five, or six days' steep- 
ing, till the outside coat easily rubs off, and is then spread on mea- 
dow-land, and turned frequently until finished. The same water 
will not be proper for receiving Hemp more than three times in a 
season ; and the first water always produces the best colour in the 
least time. 

A Stowmarket Manufacturer. Suffolk Report. 



Hemp, when pulled and bound, is conveyed to a pond of 
standing water ( if a clay-pit the better), where it is laid bundle 

upon 



176 ON HEME 



upon bundle, direct and across. This is termed a bed of Hemp ; 
and after it is piled to such a thickness as to answer the depth of 
water, which cannot be too deep,* it is loaded with blocks and logs 
of wood, until all of it is totally immersed. After remaining in 
this stale four or five days, as the weather shall direct, it is taken 
out and carried to a field of aftermath or any other grass for drying. 

Rev. Mr. Mills.— Suffolk Report, 

Any water will do for retting. If the weather is warm, they 
leave it two weeks ; some longer : and when, on examination, they 
find it retted enough, they load it on slades and carry it for grass- 
ing. 

At Haxey, after immersion it lies in the water for two or three 
weeks, according to the weather. Running water is very bad for it. 

Lincoln Report. 



As soon as the seed has been gained, the Hemp is immediately 
put into the steep, and so carefully sunk, that no part of it may 
remain above the surface of the water, and there left until the 
rind of the stalks begins to scale or break up, and disjoin itself 
from the harle. 

If 

* This deserves experimental inquiry. Watering Hemp is a partial rotting 
through fermentation : the vicinity of the atmosphere must for that purpose be 
necessary. The best Hemp-ponds I have seen have not exceeded the depth of five 
feet. A. Young. 



ON HEMP. 



177 



If the weather is warm, and the water soft, nine or ten days 
are generally sufficient for that purpose ; but in hard water, and 
cold weather, between fourteen and twenty-one days may be 
necessary. 

Stagnant is preferred to running water, not only as producing 
the same effect in less time, but also because running and spring 
water make the harle red and towey : and of stagnant water large 
are preferred to small bodies, because they have been found to give 
the harle a clearer or whiter colour. 

Fish-ponds must be avoided, because the fish would be destroy- 
ed ; and also such places as cattle are watered at, if they are so 
small as that the whole mass may be impregnated, since it would 
then be not only unpalatable but unwholesome. 

A slimy or muddy bottom for the steep is preferred, and such 
only avoided, for being particularly prejudicial, as are either morassy 
or metallic, or as appear to contain cold springs. 

In the southern parts of Poland, steeping is* not practised at all, 
on the supposition that the harle is thereby weakened, and the 
colour darkened ; but experience seems to have ascertained, that it 
does not produce either of these pernicious effects, unless improper- 
ly managed : as, for example, by using hard instead of soft water, 
or letting the mass lie too long in the steep. Instead of steeping, 
they there dry the stalks in the sun : but as, in this case, the dressing- 
is more laborious, consequently more expensive, and also attended 
with more brakage of the harle, there is the less reason to doubt of 

a a ; the 



178 



ON HEMP. 



the mode of steeping being the best, as it is known to be almost 
universally adopted in that part of the countries in question, in 
which these articles are cultivated of the best quality, and to the 
greatest extent. Dumo. 



All that are employed in the cultivation of Hemp know how 
it is commonly laid down to be watered. It is covered with a little 
straw to keep the dirt from sticking to it, and loaded with pieces of 
wood and large stones, or other heavy materials, that it may be al- 
ways five or six inches below the surface of the water. 

As the physical effect of watering was not formerly inquired in- 
to, errors prevailed,- the consequences of which were not perceived. 
The watering of Hemp producing only a proportional dissolution of 
a certain quantity of the gum, which joins all the fibres of the 
Hemp together, and attaches them to the stem; it is of some conse- 
quence to observe, where, when, and how this dissolution is effect- 
ed. The finest and clearest water is always the best.' Some make 
a kind of ditch on the edge of a river, where the water, being 
more still and warm, ferments easily, and penetrates more quickly 
the parcels of Hemp that are laid in it. When they are taken out of 
this ditch, it will be sufficient to wash them in the current of the 
river, which will carry off all the gum and mud that would other- 
wise cleave to them. The Hemp that is watered in rivers is always 
the whitest and of the best quality. That which we are obliged to 
lay in ditches, pools, or reservoirs of standing water, and unfit for 

the 



ON HEMP. 179 

the purpose, is always of a bad colour and very disagreeable smell, 
loaded with dirt, and loses a great deal in the dressing. 

In whatever manner this operation is performed, we know that 
the Hemp is sufficiently watered when the bark is easily separated 
from the stem. This we find out by drawing out every day a few 
stalks for trial. It woulcf be dangerous to let the Hemp lie too long- 
in the water; the fibres of the bark, too much divided by an undue 
dissolution of the gum, would not have strength enough to stand 
the effort they must sustain, when the Hemp is peeled or braked ; 
and a great part of it would remain with the stems, and be lost in 
the braking. 

It is therefore necessary, for this very reason, to leave the 
Hemp no longer in the water, than is sufficient to separate the bark 
from the stem, accurately and without loss. The same precaution 
must be used with the Hemp that bears the fruit or seed, and remains 
for ordinary five or six weeks on the ground after the other is pulled, 
that it may come to perfect maturity. This delay is far from being 
of any prejudice to the plant, as some have imagined. The bark, 
as it ripens, acquires all that force and resistance which is suitable 
to its nature, and becomes preferable, especially for the construc- 
tion of ropes, which cannot be too strong or too solid. 

Marcandier, 



Having recited what Marcandier has stated on watering, as 
above, Mr. Mills, in his Practical Husbandry, adds, " The judi- 

a a 2 ciously 



180 



ON HEMP. 



ciously accurate Memoirs of the Society, which the States of 
Britanny have established for the improvement of Agriculture, 
Commerce, and Arts, are more particular in this respect, and 
consequently more satisfactory. After observing, * that it is 
still undetermined, whether Hemp ought to be steeped in running 
or in standing water, that each cultivator of this plant gives the 
preference to the method he has been used to follow, and' that 
naturalists have not yet written any thing decisive in the choice of 
the waters fittest for this preparation (the most important of any 
that Hemp undergoes, because it is on this that the ease and good- 
ness of the heckling, spinning, and fabrication, in a great measure, 
depend) ; — the Memoirs, 1 say, of these zealous patriots, inform 
us, that one of the Members of their Office, at Rennes, thought 
that this diversity of opinions and customs might proceed, from 
running water being in fact always preferable in some cases, and 
from standing water being always the best in others. For example, 
in cold and rainy years, the plants must be weaker, longer green, 
and fuller of juice than in dry years, in which last, the Hemp will 
be stronger, but at the same time harder and more woody : why 
then, say they very judiciously, should it be expected that the 
same water applied to so different productions should have a similar 
effect upon each ? 

To remove all doubts in this respect, the Society ordered some 

Hemp 

* Corps cT Observations de la Society d'Agriculture ? de Commerce, et des 
Arts, 6tablie paries Etats de Bretagne. 



ON HEMP. 



18* 



*iemp to be pulled in different parts of the Province of Britanny, 
and in different states of growth. Some was pulled before it was ripe,- 
some exactly when it was ripe, and some several days after it was 
ripe. Each of the parcels of these three sorts of Hemp was divided 
into two equal parts, one of which was laid to steep in running 
water, and the other in standing water. They were afterwards 
heckled with very great care, and examined with the most scrupu- 
lous attention by a person thoroughly acquainted with the defects 
and good qualities of this commodity. 

Minute accounts of every circumstance attending these experi- 
ments, and of their resulf, were sent to the office at Rennes ; and 
the Society, sensible of the vast importance which the ascertaining 
of this point may be of in many respects, desired that they might 
be repeated, in one and the same year, on the Hemp of all the 
districts of the province. Unfortunately, these trials were not made 
when the Britanny Society did me the honour to send me a copy 
of their valuable Observations for the years 1759 and 1760. In the 
mean-time, the result of their first experiments was as follows. 

1. There was a sensible difference between the same Hemp 
pulled in the three states before-mentioned. 2. The Hemp which 
was pulled before it was ripe acquired the greatest degree of white- 
ness. 3. All the Hemp that was steeped in running water, was 
incomparably whiter than that of the same quality which was 
steeped in standing water. 4. The whole of the loss of substance, 
upon summing up the waste occasioned by each particular 

preparation j,. 



. 182 ON HEMP. 

preparation, was least upon the whitest Hemp; but that which had 
been steeped in standing water yielded a greater quantity of fine fibres, 
and the great losses in point of quantity fell only upon the first 
dressing. 5. The Hemp, which was judged to be the best before 
it was heckled, did not always preserve its superiority when heckled: 
that which was at first looked upon as of a middling, or even an 
inferior quality, proved to be the finest and best after it was heckled. 
This observation is of great importance, especially when the Hemp 
is intended for naval uses. 

" We shall not," add these truly intelligent patriots, "limit 
our inquiries to a bare repetition of these experiments: we purpose 
to extend them farther, in order to have facts which may be entirely 
relied on. We shall cause the best and best-prepared of each differ- 
ent kind of Hemp to be spun, by the same hand, into as small and 
fine thread as the Hemp is capable of affording, that so we may 
judge, to which of the different manners of steeping this plant the 
preference is due, by the greater division of which its fibres may 
be susceptible. These threads shall be exactly weighed, and shall 
undergo similar preparations, in exactly similar leyes ; after which 
they shall be weighed again, in order to judge of their goodness, 
by the diminution which each shall have suffered in the leyes, and 
by the degree of whiteness which each of them shall acquire. 
These experiments, though extremely useful in themselves, are 
however only introductory to a greater enterprise. They will lay 
a sure foundation for the improvement of every manufacture of 

Hemp, 



ON HEMP. 



183 



Hemp, and particularly of sail-cloth, which is an article of the 
utmost importance to ail commercial nations," 

The excellent Memoirs of the Royal Society of Agriculture at 
Tours, for the year 1761, prefer river-water, especially that of 
rivers which run upon a bed of sand, as the best for steeping of 
Hemp; because this water being clear, renders the colour of the 
Hemp brighter than it would otherwise be, as there is not any filth 
therein to sully it, and it peels the more easily when so steeped, 
not being there liable to so great a degree of putrefaction, as to break 
the cohesion of the fibres of its bark. It is not, however, here 
meant, that the Hemp should be steeped in the bed of the river ; 
because the inequality of the motion of the water on the sides and 
in the middle of the Hemp would prevent the arising of that equal 
degree of putrefaction, which is in this case essentially necessary. 
On the side of such rivers a hollow should be dug, three or four 
feet deep, and proportioned in extent to the quantity of the Hemp 
to be watered. 

As it is contrary to law, that the places for steeping Hemp be 
made in running water; it would be of advantage to contrive them 
so, that the water from the steeping-places should run off upon pas- 
ture grounds ; because the quantity of putrid vegetable matter which 
the water, wherein Hemp has been steeped, carries along with it, 
would greatly enrich those grounds ; and with this view, likewise, 
all the water of pools, and other places used for the steeping of 

Hemp s 



1S 4 ON HEMP. 

Hemp, should be thrown out of them upon the grass, as soon as the 
Hemp has been removed. 

The surest way to distinguish whether the Hemp has been 
steeped enough is, as the Tours Memoirs remark, to take some of 
the stems out of the water, and to try whether the extremity of the 
root snaps off short, and whether the bark separates clear from the 
reed its whole length ; for in these cases it is certain, that the Hemp 
has been sufficiently watered, and it should then be immediately 
taken out. If the bark does not separate equally from the reed, 
but stops chiefly at the small knots which appear on the stem, this 
shews that it has not been steeped enough. The usual duration of 
the steeping of the male Hemp is from three to six days, according 
to the weather ; and of the female Hemp, from five to eight or ten 
days ; but as only a small degree of too much or too little steeping 
is equally hurtful, the utmost attention should be exerted to hit the 
precise time of its being duly watered. 

Some injudiciously neglect to wash their Hemp when it is taken 
out of the water ; because, say they, the filth brought out of the 
water with it will afterwards fall off ; but in the drying of the Hemp 
this filth gives it a bad colour, and the dust which arises therefrom 
is extremely prejudicial to the health of the workmen. 

Mills's Husbandry. 



When the bundles are made up lay them in the water. A run- 
ning and clear water is much the best ; and if shaded and overhung 

with 



ON HEMP. 



185 



with trees, the better. Lay poles or planks across, or whatever 
else you have that is suitable, a large number together, so as to keep 
them at least two inches under water. Take particular notice which 
you lay in first, and how you lay the bundles, in order that you may 
be able to get them out successively, as they were laid in, without 
breaking or entangling. At the end of six days visit the Hemp, 
and see whether the reed will draw out from some of the bundles. 
The time required for soaking depends very much on the nature of 
the Hemp, the weather, and of the water, from six days to nine, or 
even eleven. It is a trouble that is not ill-bestowed, to sort the 
Hemp for soaking, if it is of unequal sizes ; the slenderest generally 
requiring most soaking. Abbe Brulks. 

On the continent a new process for steeping Hemp has been 
suggested by Mons. Breulles SJiuery, Abbe" Brulles ? ], the utility of 
which, he asserts, has been confirmed by many experiments. 

It consists in heating water in a vessel or vat to the temperature 
of 72 to 75 degrees of Reaumur, dissolving in it a quantity of green 
soap, in the same proportion to the Hemp as 1 to 48. The 
water employed for the purpose should be about forty times the 
weight of the Hemp : then throw the latter into the water so as to 
float on the surface, covering the vessel and extinguishing the fire. 
Let the Hemp remain in this situation two hours, when it will be 
found to be sufficiently steeped. The advantages derived from this 
method are various, independent of the saving of time and expense. 
The same quantity of Hemp yields more tow. This new method, 

g b likewise, 



186 



ON HEMP 



likewise, tends, it is said, to encourage the culture of Hemp by fa- 
cilitating its preparation even to those who do not live in the neigh- 
bourhood of a river, stream, or pond, and it obviates the ill conse- 
quences that might result, either from the infection of the air or the 
corruption of the water, which is sometimes so powerful as to destroy 
the fish they contain, and must of course prove highly injurious to 
the cattle that chance to drink of such waters. 



The place called the steeping or rotting place, or where the 
Hemp receives the preparation called steeping or rotting, is a ditch 
three or four toises in length, two or three toises in breadth, and three 
or four feet deep. These ditches must be filled with water. The 
water is sometimes supplied by springs ; in which case an outlet 
must be made at top, by which it discharges itself when full. 

Many of the steeping-places are only ditches dug on the mar- 
gins of rivers. Some farmers, notwithstanding the severe laws for- 
bidding that practice, steep their Hemp in the beds of the rivers. 
When the grounds are situated at a great distance from springs or 
rivers, they steep the Hemp in pools and ditches full of stagnant 
water. 

The method of laying the Hemp down, in order to its being 
steeped, is to place it in bundles at the bottom of the water, to cover 
it with a little straw, and then to load it with pieces of wood and 
large stones to keep it down, so that it may be constantly under 
water. 

It 



ON HEMP, 



187 



It is left in the water till the bark (which furnishes the fibre) 
parts easily from the reed, which is in the middle. That you may 
know when it is sufficiently steeped, you must try some of the 
stalks from time to time ; and when you find that the bark no longer 
adheres to the reed, but separates from it without difficulty, the 
Hemp should be taken out of the water. 

The process of which we now are speaking, effects something 
more than disposing the fibrous bark of the Hemp to separate 
readily from the reed : it renders the fibres finer and softer. But 
to enable the reader to conceive how the water produces this effect, 
it is necessary he should be acquainted with the organical disposition 
of a stalk of Hemp, which I shall accordingly endeavour to 
describe as briefly as possible. 

The stalks of Hemp are hollow within, or only filled with a 
soft pith. This pith is surrounded by a tender, brittle, woody 
substance, which is called the reed : over this reed we find a thin 
bark or rind, composed of fibres extending in a parallel direction 
along the stalk : this bark adheres pretty strongly to the reed; and 
the longitudinal fibres of which it is composed, are joined together 
by a . vesicular or cellular web ; the whole being covered by a very 
thin membrane, which Botanists call the epidermis. 

The intention of steeping Hemp in the water is, to make 
its bark part the more easily from the reed, and to destroy the 
epidermis or outer-skin, and a part of the cellular web, which connects 
the longitudinal fibres. All this is effected by a very small degree 
of putrefaction ; so that it is dangerous to let the Hemp lie too long 

b b 2' in 



188 



ON HEMP. 



in the water ; for it will then be over-steeped, that is to say, the 
water will not only have acted upon the epidermis and the connecting 
fibres, but likewise have produced a change in the longitudinal 
fibres ; in short, the Hemp will be too much rotted, and in this 
case the strength of the fibres or threads will be proportionably 
impaired. On the contrary, when the Hemp has not lain long 
enough in the water, its bark continues to adhere to the reed, the fibres 
are harsh and elastic, and cannot by any subsequent process be ren- 
dered sufficiently fine. There is, therefore, a medium to be observed ; 
the happy selection of which depends, not only on the length of time 
that the Hemp is to remain in the water, but also, 1. On the quality 
of the water ; it being sooner steeped sufficiently in standing water 
than in a running stream, and sooner in stagnant putrid water than 
in that which is clear. 2. On the temperature of the air; for it 
requires less time to be sufficiently rotted in warm weather than in 
cold. 3. On the quality of the Hemp ; that which has been 
raised on a rich soil, where it has not wanted for water, and which 
has been pulled whilst yet a little green, being sooner steeped to a 
proper degree, than that which has grown on a stiff -or dry ground, 
and which has been let stand till it was too ripe. 

In general, when the Hemp has been steeped but a short time, 
its fibres are thought to be the better. Hence arises the opinion, 
that Hemp should not be steeped but in warm weather; and for this 
reason, also, it is, that many, when the autumn is cold, defer the 
steeping of their female Hemp till the next spring. It is, like- 
wise, for. the same reason, that some prefer standing water, or even 

stag- 



ON HEME 



189 



stagnant water that is putrid, rather than spring or running 
water. 1 

I have steeped Hemp in different sorts of water ; and it ap- 
peared to me, that the fibres of the Hemp steeped in putrid 
standing water were softer than those which had been steeped in: 
running water : but in water which does not run, they contract a 
disagreeable colour, which, however, does no real injury to 
the Hemp ; for that which has been thus steeped is afterwards the 
most easily bleached. But yet, as this colour displeases, and the 
Hemp is the less saleable for it, endeavours are always used, if 
possible, to make a small stream of water pass through the steeping- 
places, thereby to change the water and to prevent its becoming 
putrid. 

I succeeded, likewise, in rotting Hemp by spreading it upon 
a meadow, in the same manner as is practised for bleaching of 
linen ; but this method is tedious and troublesome ; nor did the 
fibres of the Hemp, so prepared, seem to differ much from those 
of Hemp steeped in the common way. 

I have also tried the boiling of Hemp in water, in hopes of 
bringing it speedily to the same condition as it is when taken from, 
the usual place of steeping : but when, after having been boiled 
upwards of ten hours, it was taken out of the water in order to be 
dried, it was not at all fit for peeling. It is true, that while it yet 
remained hot and wet, its bark separated easily from the reed ; but 
then it peeled off like a ribbon ; the cellular web, which connects 
the longitudinal fibres, and makes them adhere closely to each 

other, 



190 



ON HEMP. 



other, not being at all destroyed, so that they could not be separated, 
nor was it possible to divide them into fine threads. It is evident, 
from what has now been said, that no precise time can be fixed for 
the duration of the rotting process ; since the quality of the Hemp, 
that of the water, and the temperature of the air, hasten or retard 
this operation. 

The common method of judging when the Hemp has been 
sufficiently rotted, is by trying whether the bark parts easily from 
the reed, and can be peeled off its whole length without breaking ; 
for in this case it is thought to have been watered enough. How- 
ever, it must also be allowed, that long practice enables the peasants 
who cultivate Hemp, to give it generally a due degree of steeping^ 
though they do sometimes mistake : and it is also to be observed, 
that it is the constant custom of some countries to steep their Hemp 
more than others. 

It it essential to observe, that the Hemp be not, by any means, 
laid to steep in water in which there are animals apt to gnaw it; as 
some insects cut the fibres asunder, and render them almost useless. 
Of this kind in particular, are what the French . call Chevreltes, or 
fresh -water shrimps. 

It is a common opinion, that Hemp intended for the manufac- 
ture of fine cloth, should be rotted more than that intended for 
-coarse cloths ; and that the Hemp intended for the making of ropes 
should be steeped or rotted least of all. 

We have observed, that Hemp, which is not sufficiently steeped, 
is harsh, coarse, elastic, and remains encumbered with the boon : 

and 



ON HEMP. 



191 



and we shall see,., in the sequel, that these are very great defects in 
Hemp intended for the manufacture of good ropes. 

I must grant, however, that Hemp intended for fine works 
may be rotted rather more than other Hemp : but it is vain to hope 
greatly to improve by this process fibres which are naturally coarse : 
they would indeed perish by putrefaction, if left too long in the 
water. A fine fibre cannot be obtained without the concurrence of 
several circumstances. 

1st, The soil; for, as we have already remarked, too 
strong or too dry soils never produce fibres of superior softness or 
fineness : on the contrary, they are too woody, and consequently 
harsh and brittle. But if the Hemp-ground be too wet, the bark of 
the Hemp produced on it will be herbaceous, lender, and easily 
broken, so that there will be too great a proportion of tow and 
waste when dressing it. It is soft, rich, and moderately wet soils, 
which produce a smooth, flexible, and strong fibre — the most de- 
sirable qualities in Hemp. 

2d, The seasons ; for in hot, dry seasons, the fibres are harsh : 
on the contrary, they are supple, and sometimes tender, in cold, 
wet seasons. 

3dly, The degree of ripeness. If the Hemp have been left too 
long standing on the ground, the longitudinal fibres of the bark 
adhere too strongly together, so that it comes off the reed like a 
ribbon, and is very difficult to divide. This defect is generally 
found in all the female Hemp, which has stood too long on the 
ground, for the purpose of ripening the seed. On the contrary, if 

the 



192 



ON HEMP. 



the Kemp be pulled too green, the bark being still of an herbaceous 
nature, there is a good deal of waste, as the fibres have not attained 
a sufficient degree of strength. 

4thly, The mode of sowing; for if it be sown too sparingly, the 
bark will be thick, hard, knotty, and woody ; while, on the 
contrary, Hemp sown sufficiently close, produces fine bark or 
fibres. 

5thly, On the preparatory processes which it undergoes, viz. 
Braking, Beetling, Scutching, and Heckling. Du Hamel. 



Lay it in some deep stagnant water ; and in six days' time, it 
will be found properly watered. However, a deal depends upon 
the season and nature of the water. M l Donal$s Essay. 



The operation of water-steeping or water-rotting Hemp is per- 
formed by placing the Hemp, which had been previously made up 
in bundles about the thickness of a man's thigh, after drying it in 
the air, in a pond, containing about five or six feet deep of water, 
and free from mud. The bundles of Hemp should be laid therein 
across each other, and close together, part of the heads one way, 
and part the other ; the whole covered with water, and kept un- 
derneath it by stones, weights, or levers, till properly steeped, 
which may be known by taking out a bundle and washing it. If 
the leaves come off freely, the coat opens, and easily separates from 
the rind or stalk, it is enough ; if not, it must lie longer, under 
careful observation, till ready. When the Hemp is found to be 

sufficiently 



ON HEMP. 



193 



sufficiently steeped, the bundles must be taken out, one by one, 
and washed, to separate the filth and loose particles. It should then 
be set on the root-ends to drain, the bands be untied, and the Hemp 
placed against a fence exposed to the sun and air, that it may be 
thoroughly dried. 

Where the convenience can be had of filling a pond with 
water, and letting it off at pleasure, such a situation should be pre- 
ferred, but otherwise a common pond will answer. 

In warm weather, this operation of the water-steep may be 
performed in four or five days ; in colder weather, it will require 
eight or ten ; and in very cold weather, eighteen or twenty days 
may be necessary. 

The intent of this process is, by a gentle fermentation, to se- 
parate the gummy and mucilaginous matters from the fibres of the 
Hemp, with which they are intermixed, and to occasion the bark 
or rind on the outside of the fibres to be more easily detached by 
the brake. Taylor's Instructions. 

It appears certain, that the process of watering or retting 
Hemp in India has a material influence upon the quality of its fibre. 
In a hot climate, where the whole time in which the process is per- 
formed does not amount to one-fourth of what is necessary in a cold 
one, it is evident, that it must be infinitely more difficult to ascer- 
tain, with accuracy and precision, the actual moment when the 
bark is sufficiently rotted, and the fibre still uninjured. In Europe, 
it is probable that the period of this process may be continued for 

c c some 



194 



ON HEMP. 



some days too long, with less damage to the fibre than will happen 
in as many hours in India. I am therefore directed to call the at- 
tention of the Court of Directors to this point, and to recommend 
to them to give orders to the English Hemp-dressers, in-order to as- 
certain the best mode of practice for retting in the different seasons 
in which the Hemp-harvest of India may be collected. 

Letter from Mr. Fawkener, Secretary to the Lords of the Privy 
Council for J he Affairs of Trade, to the Court of Direc- 
tors of the East India Company, 4th February, 1803. 

In Russia, Sweden, and Livonia, where there is much snow, 
they rot the Hemp in winter under the snow. After the first fall, 
they spread the Hemp (which has been dried in the sun or other- 
wise) on the snow, and leave it there to be covered with other falls 
of snow until spring, when it is usually found to be sufficiently rot- 
ted. They then collect it into handfuls, for breaking, or peeling 
by the hand, or for breaking by mills where the quantity is great.* 



BENGAL, 
Hemp. — Cannabis sativa. 
The Hemp, after being exposed a day or two to the sun, and tied 
in bundles, should be steeped in water from forty to fifty hours, ac- 
cording to the state of the plant, which may be known by examin- 
ing when the fibre parts easily from the stalk. 

Mr. Douglas. — Bengal Cons. 5lh May, 1801. 

* I was favoured with this information by the kindness of Sir John Sin- 
clair, Bart. 



ON HEMP. 



195 



SUN N. 

Benares.— -When the Hemp (Sunn) is cut, it is thrown into 
water, where it remains eight or ten days ; then it is taken out, and 
the Hemp being separated from the stalks, and well dried and 
cleaned, it is fit for use. 

Hurriaul. — The stalks of the Hemp (Sunn) must be laid in 
water for fifteen clays ; in which time they become soft, and the 
fibres separate. They must then be well washed in clean water, 
and afterwards placed in the sun to dry ; after which they are fit 
for use. 

Hurripaux. — As soon as it is cut, it is put under water for four 
days, some earth being put on it to keep it under. On the fifth day 
it is well washed and cleaned, the next day dried in the sun, after 
which the bark is taken off, when it is again dried in the sun. This 
is the whole process; nothing remaining but to tie it in bundles 
ready for the market. 

Malda. — The stalks of the Hemp (Sunn) are tied up in small 
bundles, about the circumference of two spans, and thrown into 
standing water, the more stagnant and foul the better. The bundles 
are then tied together, and covered with leaves of trees and earth, 
so as to sink them about a foot below the surface of the water. 
They remain there till the bark of the stalk is well rotted, which 
requires more or less time, according to the virtue of the water ; 
but it is generally effected in four days. The bundles are then taken 
up and washed : from ten to twenty of the stalks, according to their 

c c 2 thick- 



196 



ON HEMP. 



thickness, are taken up in the hand (they floating on the water) 
well bruised from the root, nine inches upwards, and afterwards 
broke at that distance, of which the bark easily slips off, leaving 
the Hemp, which being used as a handle, the stalks are worked 
about in the water till the remaining part of the bark disengages 
itself at the other end, leaving the Hemp (Sunn) in the workman's 
hand. The Hemp (Sunn) is then put into the sun to dry, tied up, 
and fit for use. 

Rungpore. — -In August, the plants are cut, tied up in bun- 
dles, and laid ten or fifteen days in water. The bark or rind is then 
stript off, well washed, and beat about in the water, and afterwards 
dried in the sun. In this state, the Hemp (Sunn) is carried to 
market, and any further operation of cleaning is performed by the 
manufacturers, according to the uses to which it is meant to be 
applied. The inner wood is used by the cultivators either for fuel 
or temporary fences to their habitations. 

Board of Trade Cons. 24th August, 1792. 



DACCA DISTRICT. 

Bazetpore. — The Hemp (Sunn) is thrown into water three 
or four days to rot. The plants are then taken out of the water and 
beaten : after this they are taken in handfuls, and the bark and 
fibrous parts about the roots separated by a charny or comb. They 
are then dried a day in the sun ; after which, the bark and fibrous 
parts being sufficiently loosened, the stalks are pulled out, and the 

Hemp 



ON HEMP. 



i&7 



Hemp (Sunn) which remains having been again dried in the sun, 
is packed up in bundles. 

Dacca-Jelalpore.- — The Hemp (Sunn) is steeped in water 
ten or twelve days ; at the end of this time the plants rot. After 
rotting, they are well shaken in the water; the parts of the plants 
then separate. The stalks are thrown away, and the fibrous parts 
which remain are Hemp (Sunn). 

Teetbaddy. — The Hemp (Sunn) is tied into bundles, and 
thrown (the tops of the plants being cut off) into water. After six 
or seven days, on the plants rotting, they are taken up, and beaten 
on the water, and washed. They are then exposed to the sun ; and 
after being sufficiently dried, the stalks are separated from the Hemp 
(Sunn) which remains. 

Momensing. — The Hemp (Sunn) plants are cut down and 
steeped in water : in four or Jive days they rot : they are then well 
washed in the water. The fibrous parts are separated from the stalks 
and on being dried in the sun, the process of making Hemp (Sunn) 
is completed. 

Chaundpore. — The Hemp (Sunn) is tied together in small 
bundles, and thrown into water for four or Jive days : the plants are 
then washed, and the Hemp separated from the stalks. The 
Hemp (Sunn) is afterwards dried in the sun, and made up into 
bundles. 

Tipperah. — The Hemp (Sunn) is tied up into small bundles 
and thrown into the water to rot. After six or seven days' steeping^ 
the plants are taken out, broken in two, and beaten on the water- 

This 



198 



ON HEMP. 



This operation separates the green bark, the white fibrous parts, and 
the stalks. The fibrous parts, which are the Hemp (Sunn), are then 
collected and exposed to the sun, and on being perfectly dry are 
tied up in bundles. 

Serampore. — The Hemp (Sunn) is put into water, and kept 
under by weights. After three days, the plants are taken up, made 
into small bundles, and broken in two ; they are then beaten on the 
water, and washed, and the stalks separated. The Hemp (Sunn) 
which remains is afterwards washed, dried in the sun, shaken, and 
cleared. 

Sylhet. — The Hemp (Sunn) is made into bundles, and 
thrown into water. After steeping four days, the plants are taken 
out and washed, the stalks separated, and the Hemp (Sunn) col- 
lected. 



Jungypore. — The plant, after being cut down and bound into 
bundles, is immediately laid under water from two to three days : 
by this operation the green bark is rotted, and the plant is separated 
from it by washing and beating on the water. It is then laid in the 
sun an hour or two ; and when half dried, the Hemp (Sunn) is se- 
parated from the woody part of the plant by the hand, dried in the 
sun, and carried to market, or laid by for use, without any further 
preparation. 

Keerpoy. — The Hemp is cut and laid to soak for one month ; * 

when 

* Must be an error. R. W« 



ON HEMP, 199 

when the rind getting rotten and easily separable, it is beat against 
a board, until it is fit for use. 

Patna. — When the plant is cut, it is bound in bundles of 
the size of the grasp of a man's two arms, put in water, and kept 
under water for three days, covered with mud, which prevents the 
bundles from rising above the water, and contributes to make the 
interior bark separate more easily from the stems. After three days, 
the cuttings are taken up, and well beaten in the water, which clears 
them from the mud and the exterior bark, and leaves only the 
interior bark, which is the Hemp (Sunn), upon the stems or sticks. 
When the cuttings are sufficiently cleared from the exterior bark 
and mud, they, with the interior bark on them, are put in the sun 
to dry ; and when dried, the stems or sticks are drawn away singly, 
with the hand, from within the interior bark, which then becomes 
Sunn, and is ready for use. 

Chittagong. — When pulled, it is tied in bundles, and put 
into a tank, or standing pool of water, for five or six days, so that 
the bark may be easily separated from the stalk. 

Board of Trade Cons. IMh January, 1793. 

The plants, after being pulled up, are put into water, 
where they remain from three to four days. The dresser, standing 
in the water, takes up a handful of the plant, and breaking it in the 
middle, strikes one end of it on the water, until the fibre separates 
from the stem ; he then does the same with the other end. 

By this mode of putting the plants into water as soon as they 

are 



200 



ON HEMP. 



are pulled up, without previously drying them in the sun, and by 
letting them remain so long a time in the water, the strength of the 
fibre is much diminished ; but the Natives use it to save trouble, as 
the fibres, in this way, separate easily from the stem, without re- 
quiring to be bruised or heckled. 

Instead of putting the plants into the water immediately after 
they are pulled up, they should be previously dried in the sun for 
two days ; after which they should be steeped, but not allowed to 
remain in the water above forty hours. Mr. Fleming. 

After drying the plants, they should be steeped in water about 
forty hours, according to the state of the plants, which is known by 
the manner in which the fibre parts from the stalks. This is to be 
found by frequent examination while the plants are in the water. 

The fibre of the Sunn is injured by the Natives watering it too 
much. Mr. Douglas.— Bengal Cons. 5th May, 1801. 

Commercolly. — When the plants of Phool-Sunn are pulled 
and tied in bundles, they are immediately carried to the water, and 
there for a day or two kept standing on their roots in an inch or two 
of water, which allows the fibre to obtain a proper degree of firmness, 
without suffering it to be parched by the heat of the sun. The next 
day they are laid in the water, with a quantity of grass or mud over 
them, to keep them down ; in which situation they remain for 
three or four days, when a man, conversant in the business, attends 
to see if they are soaked enough, as too little or too much soaking 
injures the quality of the Sunn. When the bundles are taken out 

of 



ON HEMP. 



of the water, the rind, or outer covering, is instantly separated from 
the Sunn, which is done by beating on each bundle with a large 
bamboo. This loosens the rind ; .when it is finally separated with 
the hand, and by beating about in the water. 

The Boggy is treated in the same method : except that the bun- 
dles are kept standing in the water two days, and require four or Jive 
days steeping. An objection is made against the mode prescribed by 
Mr. Fleming for Watering, which is stated under the head of 
Drying before Watering. [Vide page 162.] 

Board of Trade Cons. IT th July, 1801. 

Luckipore. — The Sunn for fishing-nets is dried more in 
the sun, and not kept so long in the water as the Sunn sold in the 
market. 

Soonamooky. — The Natives urge the time of steeping is too 
short to admit of the fibres separating easily. 

Board of Trade Cons. 21th July, 1801. 

ChittagoNg. — The Natives are obstinate and stupid. They 
declare the fibres cannot be separated from the stem, if the plant is 
steeped only forty hours, or if it is previously dried. 

Keerpoy. — The Resident says, the mode of preparation laid 
down by Mr. Fleming does not answer : he has tried it himself, 
but finds the mode practised by the Natives is preferable. Thinks 
it better to let the Natives prepare it in their own mode. 

Santipore. — The mode of preparation does not differ material- 
ly from that in use. 

d d The 



202 



0N HEMP; 



The Resident thinks, that strength will be obtained if the 
Riotts follow the prescribed directions with regard to the steeping : 
but in so extensive a district, it will be impossible to see that they 
all do this in the way directed, as some may steep the plant longer, 
for the sake of the parts dividing with more ease. An effectual way 
of seeing that the preparation is properly conducted, will be to en- 
gage with the Riotts for the plant, as they do for Indigo, delivera- 
ble at the different Cooties ; and that the operation of Steeping, 
Scutching, and Heckling, be performed at the Cooties. When the 
plant is well dried, it can be kept any length ©f time without detri- 
ment, and the process would be the same as if it were fresh gather- 
ed. — The Board fear this mode would injure the plant by drying : 
but desire he will try the experiment, and report the result. 

Soonamooky. — The rain has destroyed all the plants; but if 
it had not, the Riotts would not have prepared it in the way re» 
quired. From the result of some experiments made by himself, 
the Resident thinks the strength depends on the previous drying, and 
that it is immaterial whether it is watered for forty or sixty hours, as 
this is only required to prepare it for peeling, as soon as the separa- 
tion readily takes place, which in some cases may be forty hours or 
longer, as the state of the weather or the plant may happen to be. 

Board of Trade Cons. 8th Sept. 1801. 

It has been already observed, under the Head of Drying be- 
fore Watering, (page 165), that Mr. Frushard was decidedly 
adverse to the mode of preparing Sunn, as laid down by Mr. 
Fleming. 

With 



ON HEMP. 



203 



With regard to the time of steeping, after reciting what M. 
Du Hamel has said on the watering of Hemp, (Vide page 189) that 
it will be sooner steeped in standing water than a running stream ; in 
stagnant putrid water than in that which is clearer ; and that the 
plant grown in a rich moist soil, and pulled before it is quite ripe, 
will not require so much soaking, as when it has been sown in a stiff 
dry soil, and suffered to stand till it is ripe ; he adds, " Thus, from 
" Du Hamel and others, it is impossible to prescribe even the num- 
" ber of days, much less hours for steeping, since the quality of the 
" plant, the quality of the water, and the temperature of the air, 
« are all liable to accelerate or retard the operation." The surest 
way is to follow the directions of the Society of Tours, that is, to 
take some of the stems out of the water, and try whether the roots 
will snap short off, and whether the fibre separates readily and 
clearly from the reed, in its whole length, in which case it is cer- 
tain, that the plant has been sufficiently steeped, and should be im- 
mediately taken out of the water. If it separates unequally, and 
stops chiefly at the small knots which appear on the stem, this shews 
it has not been steeped quite enough. 

When the Duke de Choiseul was Minister for Foreign Affairs 
in France, the States of Brittany solicited of him, that the Am- 
bassador at the Russian Court might be directed to obtain an account 
of the method practised by the Livonians in steeping the Hemp- 
plant. The common method, it seems, was to make holes, as 
near the spot of its growth as might be; but the plant so steeped 
produced a Hemp that always sold from twenty-five to thirty per 

d d 2 cent. 



204 



ON HEMP. 



cent, less, than when steeped after their better method thus de- 
scribed : 

The Livonians choose a spot where there is a fall of clear 
water, and there make five or six basons, one under the other, at 
the most two feet deep. These basons are only separated by slight 
banks of clay, in which a small aperture is easily made, and stop- 
ped up at pleasure ; and by these means the water is let off from 
one to the other. They put the plant first into the uppermost 
ba§on; at the end of two or three days they remove it into the 
second, and soon to the last. At each steeping the first bason is 
filled with fresh plants, and the water removed in all the basons. It 
is further said, that the English and Dutch import no Hemp from 
Riga that hath not been steeped after this manner. — But I do not, 
says Mr. Frushard, find that the French ever availed themselves of 
this information : and indeed this method seems complicate, with- 
out any adequate good resulting from it, and it approaches too 
much to running water, which all condemn. Wehave not much more, 
therefore, says he, to fear from leaving the plant three or four days 
in the water, as is the practice with the Natives, than we have from 
not drying the plant before steeping, nor is there reason to believe that 
the arcanum of strength lies any more with the one than the other. 

All seem to agree in having little more water than to cover the 
plant; whereas the Natives generally steep their plant in tanks, 
where there is greatly more than sufficient : and this may be one 
reason why the steeping is not so soon effected, as a strong infusion 
of the plant, endued with such powerful qualities, may possibly 

be 



ON HEMP. 



205 



be found to accelerate the dissolution of the gummy cement, which 
combines all together, much more than a weak one.* 

In a postscript, he cites the authority of the Abb6 Brulles, to 
prove that the plant ought to be watered when green; as Hemp thus 
produced is finer, than when prepared from the plant after being 
previously dried. It is allowed by all, the liner the fibre the 
greater the strength. When the fibre is forced off the plant before 
it is steeped enough, the Hemp proves coarse, stubborn, and elastic, 
which to an unexperienced observer passes for strength ; but is only 
so in appearance. He submits a sample made from the plant, 
which had been steeped three days and three nights, which was 
hardly sufficient : it is as strong as any that was ever seen. 

By the trial thus made, it is self-evident, that drying the 
plant before putting it into the water will not do, nor will the 
fibres separate with the plants remaining forty hours in water : 
three days and three nights are barely sufficient without drying 
it first. 

The fibre is separated from the reed in two modes : the one is 
performed in the water, the other on land. When done in the wa- 
ter the fibre is full of the reed ; but when on the land, scarce any 
thing is to be seen. 

The Hemp, the Sunn, and the Paut, are different plants, and 
each requires a management peculiar to itself. The Hemp can 
never do with from six to eight, and even more than ten days* 

watering, 

* Does the Crotolaria Juncea give out the same qualities on infusion as the 
Cannabis sativa f R. W. 



206 



ON HEMP. 



watering, and is not easily prejudiced by leaving it therein a day 
anore or less. 

The Paut requires a fortnight, and even twenty days does it no 
harm : but the Sunn is more delicate ; it is dangerous to exceed 
three days and three nights by only five or six hours. 

The general practice is to set the plant upright in the water, 
immersed about one-third only from the bottom, for one day, be- 
fore the three days' complete immersion. 

\0th August. — In confirmation of the inefBcacy of drying the 
plant before steeping, on the 4th instant I obtained a small bundle 
of ripe Sunn, which I dried till the 6th. On that day, at gun-fire, 
I immersed it in water. On the 8th I took it out, to try if the fibre 
would separate from the reed, but found it impracticable. On the 
9th I tried it again, but it would not do. On the 10th (this morn- 
ing), I found the fibre to separate from the reed, but not from itself; 
at the same time that it was quite perished . 

\&th August. — The impracticability of reeding the plant after 
steeping no more than forty hours is again confirmed ; and the 
drying the plant, so contrary to the first authorities, is again proved 
to be worse than nugatory, creating delay where expedition is re- 
quired. 

The experiment hath verified, that the Sunn requires a far 
more delicate management, and a much nicer degree of attention, 
than the real Hemp-plant : five or six hours only too long in the 
water, and all is lost. The greatest care, then, must be taken, that 
no more plants be immersed in the water at one time, than can be 

readily 



ON HEMP, 



207 



readily worked off in the course of half a day. The natives are 
aware of this, and frequently examine the plant while in the wa- 
ter ; but I find them prone to err, in leaving the plant to the latest 
minute, and this not so much to save trouble, as to accelerate the 
operation of reeding, well knowing, that the latter part of their 
work is likely to be injured by every hour's delay. They should be 
encouraged to begin a little before, rather than at the very exact 
moment it may be said to be ready. 

Their method of placing the plant upright in the water, immers- 
ing the stronger part for only one day before the weaker end, speaks for 
itself; and is a proof that they are not wanting in sagacity. 

But their practice of covering the plants with sods and other 
rubbish, while in the water, is of no use whatever : on the contra- 
ry, it mixes with the plant, makes it dirty, and requires more time 
than they are willing to allow (however necessary) to cleanse it all 
away : but by steeping in clean water, and keeping the plant down ■ 
a foot below the surface with bamboos, all their additional trouble is 
saved, and any detriment to the plant avoided. 

Mr. Frushard adds : It is in cleaning the fibres he finds the 
Natives are most liable to fail. It should not only be strongly in- 
sisted that they beat the plant (by handfulsat a time) on the surface 
of the water, and which is best performed in the River, to rid it of 
all the filth and mucus with which it abounds after steeping ; but 
moreover, when the fibre is separated, it must be thoroughly washed, 
by repeatedly squeezing the water out of it, and ultimately be well 
wrung, to accelerate the drying, which is most essential to restor- 
ing 



208 ON HEMP. 

ing that degree of strength the fibre hath lost in being severed from 
the plant. Conformably with the first authorities, any remains of 
gumminess being left to dry in the fibre, give it the appearance of 
strength, but in reality make it brittle. 

24?tk August, 1801. — Mr. Frushard sends a white line 
made from Buddaul Sunn, whiter and clearer than any he ever 
saw, which is the effect of its being thoroughly steeped; and 
adds, it confirms all he has said on the mistaken notion of steeping 
only forty hours, and consequently leaving the fibre charged 
with the gummy substance, giving it the appearance of strength 
to the hand, but in reality rendering it naturally less strong 
when put to the test of a rope. 

On the 26th August, Mr. Frushard stated, that the season for 
cutting was arrived. That the Riotts consider the orders for drying 
before steeping, and steeping only forty hours, as next to impracticable, 
from its taking so much more trouble to separate the fibre from the 
reed than under the usual mode of practice. This, they say, will 
of necessity occasion the latter part of every parcel to lie so much 
longer in the water than the parcel they begin upon that it must in- 
evitably be oversteeped, and less tender, and most likely to perish al- 
together ; as also, that to dry the plant on taking it out of water, be- 
fore separating the fibre from the reed will occasion a much greater loss 
in tow. That they never practise this method but when they are distress- 
ed for time, and under the dread of leaving it too long in the water, 
when any parcel proves too large for the labourers employed in one 
day. He desires to know if he may deviate or must conform to the 

advertisement, 



ON HEMP. 



209 



advertisement, which specified the mode in which it is to be pre- 
pared. 

The letters from the several Residents above-mentioned, con- 
taining the objections that were urged against the mode of prepara- 
tion laid down by Mr. Fleming, having been submitted to that gen- 
tleman's perusal, he addressed a letter to the Board of Trade, in 
reply thereto ; in which, in regard to watering, he observed, that 
although forty hours' steeping might, perhaps, be found too little, 
yet certainly three or four days was too much. The exact period 
must be ascertained by experience. 

The Board, of Trade accordingly issued fresh directions, allow- 
ing the Residents a latitude to deviate from the original Instructions 
as to watering, as in their own discretion they should see fit. 

It has been mentioned, under the head of Drying before 
Watering, that Mr. Frushard failed in his intended experiment of 
preparing Sunn after the Native and the European modes of prac- 
tice. He again argues, from the experiment of the white line 
made from Buddaul Sunn, that the arcanum of giving strength to 
the fibre does not lie in the little steeping ; as, from the extreme 
whiteness and clearness, it was, beyond all doubt, most thoroughly 
steeped and divested of the gummy substance ; while all agree, that 
the drying before steeping can answer no good end. Were these two 
notions to be insisted upon with the Natives, it would occasion such 
delay, as would inevitably risk the greater part of the crop ; for if 
it is not made and dried off-hand, it is sure to lose proportionably of 

its 

e e 



210 



ON HEMP. 



its strength, even to rottenness, besides enhancing the price, from 
the more than double or treble labour it will occasion them. * 

The Board of Trade, on the 8th of September, resolve, that 
Mr. Frushard's Experiments were useful, but not conclusive ; and 
on the 12th, after duly considering his observations, record it as 
their opinion, that they see no reason to make any alterations in their 
Instructions, as amended on the 8th of that month : notice of 
which was ordered to be communicated to Mr. Frushard accordingly. 

Mr. Frushard, upon this, addressed the Governor General in 
Council, stating his objections to the system laid down by Mr. 
Fleming ; part of which are to the watering it only forty hours, 
which he asserts is insufficient. The Governor General forwarded 
this Letter f to the Board of Trade, and desired to be furnished 
with their sentiments thereon. 



Radnagore. — The whiteness and weakness of some Sunn, 
produced at that factory, is imputed to its having been over-steeped. 

Board of Trade Cons. 4th Dec. 1801. 

Commercolly. — The Resident says, The Sunn sent by him 
is of different colours, some reddish, some a dirty brown, and some 

white, 

* Vide a preceding Observation, under the head of Drying be/ore Watering. 

f Mr. Frushard's Letter, and the Board of Trade's Reply, are recorded on 
the Board of Trade's Consultations, 8th December 1801. 



ON HEMP. 



211 



white, but all are equally strong. The white being purer and 
clearer than the other, he agreed to pay a higher price for it, and 
for the rest in proportion. The Board of Trade remark, that the 
whole is of an indifferent quality. The white they suppose to be 
over-steeped : Sunn of that colour they have observed to be generally 
weak. They cannot account for the reddish and dirty colour ; but 
desire the Resident will ascertain and report the mode in which the 
Sunn of those colours has been prepared. 

Board of Trade Cons. i\th Dec. 1801. 

Commercolly. — The Resident, in reply to the Board's 
Remarks as above, states, that the inferiority of his Sunn was 
occasioned by the inundation, which swept away the whole of 
every species of cultivation : the fields were from four to six feet 
under water. To save the plants, the Riotts took them up before 
they were ripe : this and the injury the fibres sustained by being so 
long under water, and the damp which prevailed when the Sunn 
was preparing, occasioned the inferiority, and the different colours 
of white, reddish, and dirty-brown. 

Santipore* — The Resident sends a sample of two bales made 
by himself, as an experiment, to ascertain which mode of preparation 
had the preference. 

The chaul, or outer-bark, of these was removed, by striking 
the bundles of plants on the water a few times after the steeping was 
completed : and this seems to be the only method by which it can 
be effectually done. ■ Board of Trade Cons. \stJune, 1802. 

e e % Dacca. 



r 



212 ON HEMP. 

Dacca. — The inferiority of some Sunn from Luckea is 
attributed, partly to the soil, and partly to the plants having been 
steeped, at the time of the preparation of the Sunn, in standing 
water of tanks and jeels, covered with vegetables, which in a 
putrified state are supposed to injure the water. 

The weakness of the Dumroy Sunn, is attributed to the length 
of time in which, according to the usage of the district, the plant 
is steeped at the time of preparing the Sunn. 

The superiority of the Amerabad Sunn is partly owing to its 
being steeped in the clear water of the Megna, which at Amerabad 
is fresh. The plant is steeped only about twenty pars, (two days 
and a half), more or less, but is not exposed to the sun before or 
after the watering, prior to its being made into Sunn, which takes 
place while the plant lies in the water, where the bark is separated 
from the stalk, by beating the plant with a broad stick. 

Dumroy. — The Resident says, the Natives manifested the 
most inflexible obstinacy ; and although he sent a person to instruct 
them in the new mode, who shewed them that it was practicable, 
they still refused to deviate from their custom. They exclaimed, 
" You may imprison our persons, you may strike our necks, but never 
will we make Sunn according to the Advertisement." As a last 
expedient, he proposed, that, if they would steep the plant accord- 
ing to the Advertisement, the drying it after steeping should be 
dispensed with. This was partially acceded to, and some has been 
prepared accordingly : but at that time all the Sunn had been cut ; 
and the Muster which was sent, was of Sunn prepared according to 

the 



ON HEMP. 



215 



the latter mode, and arrived in a very ill-cleaned state, full of stalks, 
and appeared to be much inferior to the Sunn made in the Country 
Way. Board of Trade Cons. \3th July, 1801. 

Dr. Roxburgh, the Superintendant of the Company's Botanical 
Garden at Calcutta, in an Essay on the Culture, Properties, and 
Comparative Strength of Hemp, Sunn, and various other vegetable 
Fibres, (entered on the Public Consultations, the 12th of February, 
1801), in speaking of some samples of Sunn (Crotolaria junceaj, 
that were sent him from Bombay by Dr. "William Hunter, says : 

" I am induced to think, that little or no maceration is 
employed in taking the bark from the stalks, or in cleaning the fibre, 
which may add to its strength ; for certainly maceration, particularly 
if long continued, must weaken fresh vegetable fibres considerably." 



214- 



HEMP, 

DRYING AFTER WATERING, 



When the Hemp is sufficiently rotted, it is taken out of the 
water and dried, to effect which, there have been various contrivances. 

Chambers's Dictionary. 

The grassing requires about five weeks ; and if there are 
showers, it must be turned thrice a week ; if not, twice will do. 
This is always performed on grass-land or layers. It is done by 
women : the expence is ten shillings per acre. It is then tied up in 
large bundles of eight or ten baits, and carted home to a barn or 
house to be braked directly. Suffolk Report. 

After watering, the Hemp is taken out and carried to a field of 
■aftermath, or any other grass that is clean and free from cattle. 
The bundles being untied, it is spread out thin, stalk by stalk. In 
this state it must be turned every other day, especially in moist 
weather, lest the worms should injure it. It remains thus for six 
weeks or more, when it is gathered together, tied in large bundles, 
and kept dry in a house till December or January. It might do as 
well stacked, if kept perfectly dry. Rev. Mr. Mills, in Suffolk Report. 

When 



ON HEMP. 



215 



When the Hemp is retted enough, they load it on slades, and 
carry it for grassing to an eaten eddish, which it improves much, 
great grass succeeding it : nor does it taint the grass, so as to make 
cattle refuse it. After a shower it is turned, and left for three 
weeks, when it is turned again. If the femble quit the bun easily, 
it is ready to lift : it is then to be tied in bundles, and carried to a 
barn, taking great care to see that it is quite dry. 

At Haxey. — After watering, spread it for three weeks or a 
month on stubbles, till the bast clears easily from the bun. Turn it 
once or twice ; and when dry, bind it in beats, and carry it home 
and stack it. 

After the Hemp left for seed has been watered, do not spread 
it, but set it up in little stooks to dry ; then stack it to be ready to 
break and dress in the spring. It is not so good, but it sells as well 
as the other. This is yellow Hemp, that makes sacking and sail- 
cloth ; the other is applied to linen. Lincoln Report. 

After watering, the Hemp is set up again on its root-ends 
against the wall, and there spread out and turned towards the sun 
until it is dry, AVhen it is perfectly dried, it is housed, either in 
barns, or in such situations as that it may be exposed, as much, as 
possible; to a wind : but it must be preserved from the least degree 
of dampness, either from without or within ; for whatever becomes 
wet or damp, will be found to rot, and to infect and injure all around 
it, and the more so the longer it remains undiscovered. 

Some rain is desirable during the time it remains spread out 

for 



ON HEMP. 



for drying, especially if it falls at intervals, and is succeeded by 
warm sun-shine : and even much rain, though rather unfavourable, 
is preferable to much dry weather ; because the degree of putrefac- 
tion necessary for completing the disjunction of the harle from the 
outside or rind of the stalk, thereby meant to be effectuated, will 
be perfected in a shorter space of wet than of dry weather; and 
that, while no prejudice arises from its being left standing without 
doors, a few days well improved, will be found sufficient for ren- 
dering it houseable, and also for bringing it in. Durrw. 

Every one knows the method of drying the Hemp when it is 
sufficiently watered, and of what consequence it is to preserve it in 
a dry state, until it be thought proper to peel or brake it. 

To dry the Hemp as much as it ought to be before it be 
braked, we may make use of either the public or private ovens ; 
and those who take this method, know very well, with what pre- 
caution it ought to be done. Others dry it along a wall, at a dis- 
tance from their houses, or in caverns made for the purpose, open 
to the south and sheltered from the north wind, under a rock, or 
only covered with dry stones, or pieces of wood with earth upon 
them, according to the custom or convenience of the place. 

, Marcandier, 

When the Hemp, after having been properly steeped, is taken 
out of the water, the bundles should be untied and spread upon 
sand, or upon strong rocky ground ; or if neither of these be at 
hand, it may be laid upon a field that has been lately reaped, and 

where 



ON HEMP. 



217 



where the stubble still remains standing. This stubble will keep it 
hollow, and it will dry the sooner. Some dry their Hemp by- 
spreading it out and setting it upright against a sunny wall, or by 
laying it along the side of a ditch. Grass is not fit for lay- 
ing it on, because there will arise from thence a moisture which will 
rot the Hemp : for this reason it is, that the place where Hemp is 
spread to dry should be as free as possible from every kind of damp. 
When the Hemp is thoroughly dry, it is bundled up again and 
carried home, where it should be kept in a very dry place, till it is 
wanted for peeling or braking. 

When but a small quantity of Hemp is to be dried, an oven is 
doubtless the safest method ; and when the Hemp is dressed at 
home, it may perhaps be dried as fast by this mean, as the other 
avocations of the family will admit of its being wanted. The only 
attention requisite in this case is, that the oven be not so hot as to 
endanger the fine and tender fibres of the Hemp; for too great a 
heat may not only scorch them, but likewise so parch the oil in the 
Hemp, as that the Hemp will afterwards remain harsh and dry, and 
not be so easily whitened as it might otherwise be. 

Where the quantity of Hemp is greater than can be managed 
with an oven, it is dried on a kiln ; and this is a good method, pro- 
vided the fire here be also very moderate, and made of such ma- 
terials as do not blaze or sparkle, because of the great aptness of 
dry Hemp easily to take fire. Coke is, perhaps, the very best fuel 
that can be used for this purpose. Mills's Husbandry. 

f f The 



2rr 



ON HEMP. 



The Hemp having been properly watered and cleansed, set it 
upon the dry earth upright, that the water may drain from it 1 : 
which done, rear it up either against hedges, pales, walls, back- 
sides of houses, or such-like, where it may have the full strength or 
reflection of the sun ; and being thoroughly dried, then house it. 

England's Improvement. 

Abroad, I am told, they have a kind of oven built on purpose 
for drying Hemp : but here the planters content themselves with 
erecting a kind of scaffold, covered with, hurdles, over which they 
spread their watered Hemp to a moderate thinness, and then 
kindling a slow turf or peat fire underneath, they keep turning the 
Hemp till it is sufficiently dry; after which they preserve it by 
Stacking till it is threshed. Complete English Farmer. 

When the Hemp is taken out of the water, the bundles of it 
should be untied, and set upright against a sunny wall, or on the 
bank of a ditch, or it may be spread out in any dry part of a field. 
Care must be taken to turn it from time to time ; and when the 
Hemp is thoroughly dry, it is bundled up again, and carried home,, 
where it should be kept in a very dry place,, till it is wanted for 
peeling or braking. 

The Hemp that is to be broken should first be rendered very 
dry. For this purpose, the Hemp-growers usually have a drying- 
place at some distance from their houses ; for nothing can be more 
dangerous than to dry the Hemp in the chimneys of the houses, as 
is done by the peasants in some places. Some put their Hemp into 

their 



ON HEMP. 



219 



their ovens to dry ; and in that case there is no danger of burning 
the house ; but the Hemp frequently takes fire, nor is it possible to 
dry a large quantity in this manner. The drying-place is a kind of 
cavern, which is generally six or seven feet high, five or six feet 
wide, and nine or ten feet long. A hollow under a rock is often 
made use of for this purpose ; but as that cannot always be met 
with, it is frequently necessary to have recourse to art. In this case, 
some form the top of the drying-place with stones; others only close 
it with pieces of wood, over which they lay a quantity of earth. 
But, whichever of these methods is taken, the drying-places should 
be so situated as to be sheltered from the north and north-east winds, 
and open to the south, that it may receive the benefit of the sun ; 
because the usual season for braking of Hemp is in clear frosty 
weather, when the business of the field is suspended. 

At about four feet above the floor of this drying-place, and two 
feet from its mouth or entrance, three bars of wood, about an inch 
thick, are placed across the cavern, from side to side, and there 
fixed. On these bars is laid, about six inches thick, the Hemp 
that is to be dried. 

A careful person, which generally is a woman, then keeps 
constantly burning, under the Hemp so laid, a small fire, made of 
fragments of the reeds of Hemp that has already been braked or 
peeled. The person thus employed must be extremely watchful, as 
this kind of fuel is soon consumed, and must of course, be frequent- 
ly replenished, in order to keep a constant and regular fire all over 
the hearth, which is absolutely necessary. Very great care must 

F f 2 likewise 



220 



ON HEMP. 



likewise be taken, that the flame do not ever rise so high as to set 
fire to the Hemp, which is exceedingly inflammable, especially after 
it has been drying some time. 

The same person also takes care to turn the Hemp from time 
to time, in order that it may be dried equally in all its parts ; and 
likewise to put on fresh Hemp, when the former is dry enough to 
be taken away and sent to the braker. Du Hamel. 



When properly watered, it must be taken out, and laid upon 
its side until it be drained and turn stiff, so as to stand upon its root- 
ends spread, leaning to walls, ropes tied between trees, or poles put 
into the ground ; because, if it were spread upon the ground, a 
certain worm is known to breed amongst it, which would destroy it 
in a short time. When the Hemp is thoroughly dried, it is to be 

bound up in bunches, and carried to the dressing. 

M' Donald's Essay. 

When the Hemp is sufficiently steeped, the bundles must be 
taken out one by one and washed, to separate the filth and loose 
particles. It should then be set on the root-ends to drain, the bands 
be untied, and the Hemp placed against a fence, exposed to the sun 
and air, that it may be thoroughly dried. Taylor's Instructions. 



BENGAL. 



ON HEMP. 



221 



BENGAL. 

Hemp. Cannabis saliva. 

The stalks of the Hemp, after being sufficiently watered, must 
be taken out and spread on the grass to dry, during which they must 
be frequently turned. Mr. Douglas, 5th May, isoi. 



SUNN. 

At Bazetpore, in the District of Dacca, after the fibrous 
parts are well separated from the roots and well washed, the plants 
are laid in the snn to dry before stripping them. 

Jungypore. — After it has been washed and beaten in the water 
it is laid in the sun an hour or two ; and when half dried, the stalks 
are separated. 

Patna. — After the cuttings are sufficiently cleared from the 
mud and exterior bark, they, with the interior bark on them, are 
put in the sun to dry. Board of Trade Cons, nth Jan. 1793. 

After watering the plants forty hours, they should be taken out 
and dried gently in the sun for three or four hours before the fibres 
are separated. Mr. Fleming. 

After watering, the plants should be taken out and dried. 

Mr. Douglas.— Board of Trade Cons. 5th May, 1801. 

GOLLAGORE* 



222 



ON HEMP. 



Gollagore, — As it appears, that, after steeping and drying, 
the fibre sustains no injury from being left on the stem, the Resident 
proposes to erect buildings on the banks of the River, to contract for 
the plants being delivered after being steeped and dried, and that 
the process of stripping from the stem and dressing be performed by 
the Convicts, under the superintendance of the Europeans that are 
coming from Europe. 

The Board do not approve of employing Convicts. 

Board of Trade Cons. 25 th Sept. J80J. 

This also is one of the points on which Mr. Frushard combats 
the propriety of Mr. Fleming's Instructions. 

Mr. Fleming, he observes, lays down three or four hours only 
for the time of drying when out of the basons, and to be dried 
gently in the sun ; but in France, in Holland, in Switzerland, and 
in Russia, the plant is most thoroughly dried before it is put under 
the brakers ; indeed, so thoroughly, that recourse is almost invaria- 
bly had to fire-kilns and ovens.* But this excessive drying is merely 
to get rid of the reedy part w r ith the greater facility ; and I am per- 
suaded it must be rather prejudicial to the strength of the fibre, since 
Mr. Du Hamel says that Hemp exposed to the excessive heat of the 
weather for any length of time will make it perish-f-. 

The 

It appears, that, at Soonamooky, the hand-brake failed altogether. The 
Sunn was so brittle after the drying, that the fibre broke with the boon in the teeth ; 
and by afterwards damping the Sunn the boon would not separate from the fibre in 
the heckle. Beetling with a smooth mallet was not more successful. 

f This is an undoubted fact. The sun will have an effect on thejHemp even 



ON HEMP. 



The method of Drying in Russia, as given by the French 
Ambassador at that Court, is as curiously complicated as their mode 
of steeping. They tie up the plants in bundles, about the size of a 
man's thigh at the knee. These bundles are placed upright, supported 
by a stake in the centre, and then are left one day to drain. The next 
day they are spread abroad to dry ; after which they are made up in 
heaps, and covered over with straw or hawlin of any kind to make 
them sweat ; and when they have sweated enough, they are laid again 
m small heaps, so that the air may dry them in the shade by blowing 
through them ; after which they are most effectually dried by fire 

» 

kiln, or oven, and immediately put under the brakers whilst yet 
hot : and be it observed, that the Livonians say, it is in this opera- 
tion of sweating that their good or bad quality of the Hemp depends. 

This then, it should seem, is the great arcanum we are seeking 
for ; at all events, this is a point for us to ascertain and verify by ex- 
periment. It makes, says Mr. Frushard, a strong impression on my 
mind as something like the truth. We all know how essential this 
sweating is to the well curing of every thing green that we preserve, 
whether itis herb, fruit, or grain. They do not appear to know the full 
force or management of this in India, though they are not entirely 
ignorant of it. The reason why their tobacco falls so much to dust 
is owing to its not being sweated enough. When properly sweated, 
as they manage kin America, it becomes tough like a bladder; and 

toughness 

in the act of spinning. This led to the forming of spinning-walks under the shade 
of trees ; and of late years under covered walks^ where the parties hare been 
enabled to encounter the expence. 



224 ON HEMP. 

toughness and suppleness are the qualities wanted in Hemp. It 
does not appear from the French Authors, that they avail themselves 
of this information, or perhaps their writers with-hold it as a secret, 
though it may be practised and promulgated among themselves. 
Savary, though he says but little on Hemp, mentions sweating as 
necessary ; and, on trial, it may perhaps be found, that the Livonians 
are not only ingenious, but ingenuous in declaring the quality to 
depend on this operation being well or ill performed. 

Now the method practised by the Natives of this country, beats 
both the French and Russian for facility and expedition. They 
divest the reed from its fibre immediately from steeping without 
drying, by which they avoid the kiln and the oven*; which upon 
every principle of sound reasoning, deduced from all that has been 
laid down by the Societies, has obtained more, not to say solely, for 
the more readily getting rid of the reed, than for the benefit of the 
fibre, to which it should seem even prejudicial. The celerity with 
which the Natives get through this business is highly in favour of 
the strength of the fibre and of their mode of practice ; and should 
sweating be found to answer, it , will be found much more con- 
genial to its execution than the doing it while the fibre be yet on 
the reed. 

The Natives say, that to dry the plant on taking it out of the 
water, before separating the fibre from the reed, will occasion, a 
much greater loss in tow; so that they never practice this method 

but 

* From the heat of the climate I should suppose they do not need either. R. W. 



ON HEMP, 225 

but when distressed for time, and under the dread of leaving it too 
long in the water, when any parcel proves too many for the labourers 
employed in one day. Board of Trade Cons. 2d. Sept. 1301. 

Rungpore. — The Natives are at a loss how the fibre is to be 
separated from the stem of the plant, if it is to be thoroughly dried 
after taking out of the water, and before the peeling commences. 
They observe, it will cause great trouble in picking out the pieces of 
the rind, and will break the fibre into small threads. 

Board of Trade Cons. 25th Sept. 1801. 

Dacca. — To obviate the objections of the Natives, the Resident 
proposed, that if they would steep the plant according to Mr. 
Fleming's directions, the drying it after steeping should be dispensed 
with. This was partially acceded to, and some has been prepared 
accordingly; but it appeared to be much inferior to the Sunn 
prepared in the Country mode. 

Board of Trade Cons. 13 th July, 1802. 



G g 



226 



HEMP, 

THE MODES OF SEPARATING THE FIBRES FROM THE 

STEMS. 



After the Hemp is sufficiently dried, they proceed either to 
peel it by taking one stalk after another, breaking the reed, and 
slipping off the bark, or to break or brake it. The operation of 
breaking Hemp, or beating out the dry bun or hex, which is the 
woody part of the stem, from the rind or bark which covers it, is 
performed three ways : by beating the Hemp with beetles, which is 
laborious and tedious : or by a toothed-instrument called a brake, 
beginning with the root-end ; or, which is the best method, by 
fluted rollers, that are wrought by horses, wind, or water. The 
Moravian Hemp-mill, used in America, is a good instrument for 
this operation. It consists of a large heavy stone, shaped like a 
sugar-loaf, with the small end cut off. This is moved by a water- 
mill ; and the Hemp being laid on the floor, is bruised by the weight 
of the stone passing over it. Mr. Robert Macpherson, Assistant 
Secretary to the Commissioners and Trustees for Improvements in 
Scotland, has lately .invented a new water-mill and foot-machines, 
for Breaking, Scutching, and Beating Flax and Hemp. 

Chambers's Dictionary. 

After 



ON HEMP. 227 

After the Hemp is thoroughly steeped, the next operation is to 
separate the bark from the reed or woody part : and this may be 
done in two ways ; either by pulling out the reed from every stalk 
with the hand, or drying and braking it like Flax. 

Hemp is broken by machinery, after being steeped in a manner 
similar to Flax : but the instruments used for this purpose are all 
worked by the hand. Encyclopedia Britannic®. 

In the provinces that abound with Hemp, and where the people 
are laborious, they generally brake it all. For this end it must be 
made exceedingly dry, that the stems, once put into the brake, 
may not come out till they are perfectly broken, and as it were 
ground to pieces. The fibres of the Hemp, rubbed and bruised by 
this first operation, are cleared of the grossest gum, divided, and 
rendered fine and soft; and when this work is well performed, as 
we have seen it done*, the Hemp is separated from the stem with- 
out any kind of loss, and the advantages which the manufacturers 
derive from it are very considerable. 

We shall give no description of the instrument called the brake, 
which is as well known to such as make no use of it as to those that 
do; and in case of need, may be easily brought from the places 
where it is used. It consists only of two pieces of wood, may be 
had at a very moderate price; and a workman who has seen but 
one model of it will be able to make as many as mayWve a whole 
province. 

g g 2 One 
• In several cantons of Lower Berry, Argies, Busaneois, Azay, Marteiza, &c. 



228 ON HEMP. 

One need see Hemp braked but once, to be immediately master 
of the whole art. The man or woman who brakes (for in many 
places it is the work of women), takes in the left hand a handful of 
Hemp, and in the other the upper jaw of the brake. The Hemp 
is put between the two jaws, and by raising and letting fall several 
times with all his force the jaw he has in his right hand, it breaks 
the dry stems under the bark that lies round them. By moving the 
Hemp in this manner between the two jaws, the stems, ground to 
pieces, and as it were reduced to dust, are forced to quit the Hemp. 
The grossest part of the gum falls down like a kind of bran, and 
the finest flies away like dust. When the half of the handful is thus 
broken, he puts under the brake that part which he held in his hand 
and never leaves it till the whole handful be perfectly broken. It 
is then stretched upon a table, or on the ground ; and when he has 
about two pounds weight, he makes it into a parcel, which he 
doubles, at the same time twisting it slightly; and this is what is 
called a Head of Hemp or undressed stuff. In this manner all 
the lower t ends of the Hemp are as well divided as the tops, and the 
manufacturer loses not so much in hards as he would otherwise do. 
All the fibres in the hand of the person that holds the parcel by the 
middle, retain as far as possible their natural length ; and this first 
preparation qualifies the Hemp much better for the other operations 
of the heckle than that of peeling. A woman may brake from 
twenty to thirty pounds of Hemp in a day ; and this is a very great 
advantage to those that cultivate this plant. 

We 



\ 



ON HEMP. 229 

We are far from condemning the method of braking Hemp, 
when it is done with all the care that is necessary. It is, in many 
cases, preferable to peeling, the inconveniences and abuses of which 
will be explained under the head of Peeling. Marcandier. 

The operation of braking Hemp, by which general term is 
however strictly meant only the breaking of the reed, which some 
call the bunn, or woody part of the stem within the bark (for the 
bark itself, of which is made the filamentous substance that is spun 
and used in manufactures, only bends under the hand of the dresser, 
and does not break) ; this operation, I say, has hitherto generally 
been executed three ways, namely, by beating the Hemp with 
beetles, which is a laborious and tedious work ; or by the Dutch 
hand-brake, which is in every respect much preferable to the bee- 
tle; or by fluted rollers, worked by horses, wind, or water ; but of 
choice by the latter, where a running stream can be procured. 

This last is more expeditious and less laborious than either of 
the other ways: but it is dangerous to the workmen employed 
therein ; because, if by any inadvertence the rollers should catch 
hold of their fingers, the loss of a limb, at least, is inevitable. The 
only means of preventing this dreadful consequence, in such a case, 
is to have an iron crow at hand, ready to clap instantly between the 
rollers, as is practised in sugar-works, which are of a similar con- 
struction. 

The fluted rollers are undoubtedly the best instrument for break- 
ing Hemp, because the length of the stalk, and the strength of the 

reed 



230 ON HEMP, 

reed of this plant, must render the Dutch brake a very tedious ope- 
ration, especially when large quantities of Hemp are raised, as must 
be the case wherever a sufficiency of it is cultivated to answer the 
purposes of the great and important manufactures in which it is em- 
ployed in this nation. 

The Moravian Hemp-mill, used in America, is also a good in- 
strument. It consists of a large heavy stone, shaped like a sugar- 
loaf, with the small end cut off. A body of that form will go round 
in a circle if it be moved on a plane. This is moved by a water- 
mill, and the Hemp being laid on the floor in its way, is bruised by 
the weight of the stone passing over it. Mills's Husbandly. 

When the Hemp is dried and housed, it may be braked at 
leisure. This is done on a brake of wood, whose preparation is so 
ordinary, that every one almost knows it : then brake and beat out 
the dry bun of the Hemp from the rind which covers it. This ought 
to be done in dry and fair weather. Let your Hemp be spread out 
thin in the sun, in order to render it as dry as tinder, before it 
comes to the brake ; for if either in the lying close together it shall 
give again or sweat, or through the moistness of the air or place 
where it lies it imbibes any damp, you must necessarily have it dried 
again, or else it will never brake well, nor the bun fall from the rind 
as it should : but if the weather be not seasonable, and you have 
occasion to use your Hemp, you should then spread it on a kiln, and 
making a soft fire under it, dry it upon the same. But because this 
is oftentimes dangerous, and much hurt hath been received thereby 

through 



ON HEM?. 



231 



through casualty of fire, I advise the sticking four stakes into the 
earth, at least five feet above the ground, and laying over them 
small overliers of wood and open flakes or hurdles : upon the same 
spread the Hemp, and also rear some about it, but leave one open 
side ; then with straw, small shavings, or other light dry wood, 
make a soft fire under it, and so dry it and brake it. This will be 
done without any danger : and as you brake it, open your Hemp 
which you hold by handfuls, and look into it, beginning always to 
break the root-ends first ; and when you see the bun is sufficiently 
crushed, fallen away ; or at most hangeth by very small shivers 
within the Hemp, then it is braked enough ; and then that which 
before was called a bait or bundle is now called a strike. Lay them 
together and so house them. 

The drying is best done in a large oven, because it is most 
discoloured by the smoke. 

That the Hemp may be braked with the more facility, two dis- 
tinct brakes are used : one must be an open and wide-toothed or 
nicked brake, and the other a close straight-toothed brake ; the first 

being to crush the bun and the latter to beat it forth. 

England's Improvement. 

The brake resembles a bench made of a plank five or six inches 
square, and seven or eight feet long. In this plank two large morti- 
ces are cut, extending its whole length, and a full inch in width. 
The three divisions, which were formed by the two large grooves or 
mortices, are sharpened on the edges. 

Over 



232 



ON HEMP 



Over this piece of wood another is fitted ; one end of it being 
made fast by means of a hinge, and the other shaped into a handle. 
It has two longitudinal sharp edges or swords, which enter into the 
corresponding grooves of the under part of the machine. 

The person who performs the operation of braking takes a 
large handful of Hemp in his left hand, and with the right lays 
hold of the handle of the upper jaw of the brake. He then places 
the Hemp between the two jaws of the machine, and by repeatedly 
lifting up and forcing down the upper jaw, bruises the reed ; and 
by pulling the Hemp between the two jaws, separates the bruised 
particles of the reed from the fibres. When one half of the hand- 
ful of the Hemp has been thus sufficiently braked, the workman 
turns it, that the part he before held in his hand may undergo the 
same operation. 

When he has obtained about two pounds of well-braked Hemp 
he folds it in two, and twists the two ends slightly together : these 
parcels are called heads of rough Hemp. Bu Hamel 

Hemp being so very long, no lint-mill hitherto invented can 
dress it properly, without cutting it : no ; nor the stock and hand 
without much difficulty. 

Therefore the method used for that purpose^ in countries where 
it is raised to great extent, is by coarse and fine brakes, and peeling- 
it from the boon with the hand. Those employed in peeling it are 
old men, women, and children. M l Donal<Ts Essay. 



After 



ON HEMP. 233 

After the Hemp has been watered and well dried, it is fit for 
the brake. If it cannot be sufficiently dried in the open air, it may 
be done by laying it carefully upon sticks placed across, about four 
feet above a gentle fire. The Hemp may be laid thereon about six 
inches deep, and carefully turned from time to time to be equally 
dried. In the Hemp countries, wind and water mills, with parti- 
cular machinery for the purpose, are contrived to brake and pre- 
pare the Hemp in a more cheap and expeditious manner : but, in 
a country where a manufacture is in its infancy, the most plain and 
simple methods must be adopted, and such machinery be used as 
the farmer can make himself. To break Hemp, the person em- 
ployed takes in the left hand a handful of Hemp, and in the other 
the upper jaw of the brake. The Hemp is laid across, between the 
two jaws ; and by raising and letting fall the upper jaw several times 
with great force, it breaks the dry stems under the rind that sur- 
rounds them. By this means, the gummy matter and pith are made 
to quit the Hemp, and the operation is continued till the whole 
handful be perfectly broken. The Hemp is then stretched out on 
the ground or a table ; and when about two pounds' weight is thus 
prepared, it is made into a parcel, by doubling and twisting it slight- 
ly, and is then called a head of Hemp or undressed stuff. A woman 
may break from twenty to thirty pounds of Hemp in this manner in 
one day. Taylor's Instructions. 

The mode of braking, cleaning, or dressing, as well as the 
form of the several instruments used for the purpose, being supposed 

h h to 



234 ON HEMP. 

to be the same in these as in other countries, and the difference to 
consist only in the degree to which the cleaning is carried, a parti- 
cular description of this operation seems to be superfluous. It may 
not, however, be unnecessary to observe on this head, that, in case 
the steeping and subsequent drying is found not to have sufficient- 
ly answered its purposes, viz. that of softening the harle, and rot- 
ting the rind to such a degree, as that they may be separated, 
and the former cleared from the latter, without injuring the 
harle, recourse is had to a further drying in a room heated by an 
oven or stove; and every peasant, in the practice of cultivating 
Hemp, fits up a small room, detached from his dwelling-house, for 
that particular purpose. Bump. 



Breaking is done by the stone at one shilling. There are many 
people in the district that do it, and earn fifteen or sixteen pence a 
day, and beer. The offal is called Hemp-sheaves, which makes 
good fuel, and sells at two-pence per stone. Suffolk Report. 

When the Hemp is retted, it is bound up in sheaves or large 
bunches; and, with a machine called a brake, the cambuck is 
broken in pieces, and with a swingle is cleared from the small 
remaining pieces of the cambuck, and then bound up in stones. 
In Suffolk fourteen pounds and a half of Hemp are deemed a stone. 
The Hemp which breaks off in the operation is called shorts : 
this is bound up by itself, and is about half the value of the long 
Hemp. 

The 



f 



ON HEMP. 



235 



The price of braking varies with the length, and the ease or 
difficulty with which the cambuck separates from it. From twelve 
to eighteen or twenty pence is paid : twelve and fourteen pence are 
the most common prices. The refuse is only fit for burning, and is 
sold at from one penny to two pence per sack. 

I have been informed, there are mills erected for braking flax ; 
and as the mode of braking is similar, I imagine they might be 
applied to Hemp. In some parts of the country, where much 
Hemp is grown, this might prove a considerable saving. But as 
Hemp is very bulky before it is broken, and small quantities only 
are grown in each village in general, I fear it would not answer the 
expense to erect many of them. 

When the Hemp is broken, it is fit for market, and is purchased 
by the hecklers. Diss, Harleston, and Halesworth, are considerable 
markets for Hemp ; but the greatest quantity is sold to the neigh- 
bouring hecklers, without being carried to market. 

A Stowmarket Manufacturer, Suffolk Report. 



The stalks are broken, and the bark wholly freed from them by 
an instrument called a braker. The art of braking it would be learned 
by a labourer of common capacity in a few hours ; and the swing- 
ling of it which follows, requiring some sleight as well as labour, 
though more difficult, might be easily acquired. After brak- 
ing and swingling, it is tied up in stones, and it is sent to the 
heckler. — In the state Hemp comes from the brake it will fetch 
from six shilling and sixpence to seven shillings and sixpence per 

h h 2 stone. 



236 



ON HEMP. 



In 1787, it sold as high as nine shillings. The expence of braking 
is from one shilling to one shilling and sixpence per stone. 

Rev. Mr. Mills in Suffolk Report. 



PEELING. 

The method of peeling Hemp, is so simple, that a description 
of it would be needless. Even children, and the aged and infirm, 
may perform it with ease, by only taking one stalk after another, 
breaking the reed, and slipping off the bark. This may, likewise, 
become the work of every person belonging to the farm in winter 
evenings, and at such times as the weather will not admit of their 
working without doors. It must, however, be allowed, that there 
are some inconveniences attending this method. The peeled Hemp 
comes off in ribbands, which does not answer in the heckling, so 
well as that which has been broken. More of the useless membranes, 
especially towards the root, still adhere to it, and, by increasing its 
weight, render it (to use the common saying on this occasion), 
better for the seller than for the buyer : besides which, the Hemp 
does not always peel off in equal lengths; and from thence arise 
considerable disadvantages and loss in its future dressings. 

Mills 's Husbandly. 

Those who, have time and patience enough for peeling * the 

Hemp, 

* We are of opinion, that one ought only to peel the large stalks of Hemp* 
which could not be braked without too much difficulty and trouble. 



ON HEMP. 237 

Hemp, are obliged to take one stalk after another, to break the stem, 
and draw off the Hemp, by letting it run between their fingers : 
this method is so plain and so easy, that children can perform it 
with as much success as grown persons; the aged and the infirm 
apply to it with equal ease. Generally, the evenings, or those times 
wherein nothing else can be done, if such time there be, are thus 
employed. This business is particularly suited to those who watch 
the cattle ; but we are of opinion, that the strong and laborious, who 
can be at no loss for more useful and profitable employments, ought 
not to amuse themselves with it. 

Besides loss of time and the expence that must be sustained by 
those who give their Hemp to be peeled, this practice is also attended 
with a great many inconveniences to the buyer and to the manufac- 
turer. The Hemp that is peeled generally retains some thick parts 
at the end next the root, the weight of which is profitable to the 
seller, but contrary to the interest of the buyer. The gum and dirt 
it has contracted in the thick and standing pools where it was watered, 
sticks constantly to it, and raises an unwholesome dust in the shop 
where it is dressed, which is greatly injurious to the health of the 
manufacturer, as well as to his pocket. 

Moreover, the peeled Hemp does not always retain its whole 
length : one is obliged to break the stem several times to get off the 
bark ; thus the short Hemp is mixed with the long, and this in- 
equality is no less prejudicial : the broken fibres that are mixt up 
with the rest of the parcel, only produce hards, which are of no 
great service. After all, both these methods may have their advan- 
tages 



238 



ON HEMP. 



tages and disadvantages their conveniences and inconveniences ; and 
men of sense, who mind ceconomy, may choose that which to them 
appears the best, according to times, places, and other circumstances. 

Marcandier. 

In some provinces of France, they peel all their Hemp: 'in 
other parts, those only peel it who grow small quantities. 

The mode of peeling the Hemp is so simple, that even children 
may perform it with ease, by only taking one stalk after another, 
breaking the reed, and slipping off the bark. 

This work may perhaps be deemed very tedious : but as it is 
performed at such times when there is no other employment for the 
persons belonging to a farm, or by the children who tend the cattle, 
it is not very costly to a farmer who has a large family. But it 
would cause a considerable waste of time to small families, who 
will find it more advantageous to break their Hemp. 

Du HameL 



239 



HEMP, 

MODE OF SEPARATING THE FIBRE FROM THE REED, 
AS RECOMMENDED BY THE ABBE BRULLES. 



When you find any quantity sufficiently soaked, take it with 
care, putting your hands under it to prevent breakage, and trans- 
port it to a trough or table ; for there are two methods of working it. 
If you work it in a trough, you must be provided with one some- 
what longer than any Hemp that you mean to work in it, twelve or 
fourteen inches deep, and of what width you think proper, ac- 
cording to the number of persons you employ at it, as one, two, 
or four. To this trough must be fitted two pieces of plank, of 
about afoot in length, but of such width as to stretch over a bundle 
of the Hemp as it lies opened in the water. These planks must be 
set on one side with teeth of brass wire; and when the Hemp is 
ready for drawing, it must be laid on it as it lies on the water, to 
keep it straight and immerged. 

If you work the Hemp on a table, you must, before taking it 
out of the water, open a little the bundles, and rub the stems be- 
tween your hands, to get off what you can of the slime, and to 
loosen the rind. You must likewise push the bundle along in the 
water, with the root-end foremost, to loosen the rind at that end 
where the operation is to be begun. If you do not thus rub and 

scour 



240 O N H E M P. 

scour ., your Hemp in the water, where you soak it, you must do it 
in the trough ; but in either case you must be careful to keep an 
even and steady hand, to avoid breaking the reed, which as many 
times as it happens renders the operation of getting the reeds out 
tedious. If it is wrought on a table, the bundle must be frequently 
but slightly wetted. If any suitable method could be adopted to 
make water drip gently on it, it would be best. A plank must be 
lain on the bundle to keep it steady. 

All matters being properly disposed upon the table, or in the 
trough, you must begin at the root-end to push back a little the 
rind from the stem : then taking hold of one stem at a time, and 
rather near the outside than the middle of the bundle, keep your 
hand and the reed under water (if you work in a trough), and 
draw it out from the bundle, as straight as possible : you will find it 
come out clean as a sword from its scabbard. As you proceed, you 
may take two, afterwards four, and up to six or more reeds at a 
time, which will draw out still more- easily. When you have 
drawn out all the reeds that you can find at the root-end, lift up 
the spiked plank which was at the upper end, leaving on that 
which was in the midddle, and draw out such pieces of reed as 
you may find at the* upper end, and which have remained after 
drawing out what you could at the root-end, because they were 
broken : lastly, take off the plank which was laid on the middle, 
and take out all the relicks of reed you can perceive. If 
your Hemp was in good condition for drawing, you will now 
find all your reeds perfectly clean on the floor, and the rind, 

which 



ON HEMP. 



241 



which is the Hemp, lying in straight threads in the water or on 
the table. 

You will perceive, that among the Hemp there is a great 
quantity of gum left, looking like a jelly : this you will wash out, 
as if you were washing any long straight piece of cloth, observing 
not to displace or twist the threads, which would thwart the future 
operation of dressing or heckling. The finer and whiter you de- 
sire your Hemp to be, the more waters you will run it through, 
squeezing it out at each time of washing; but I think it always 
right at the last, to run it through a water, in which a slight quanti- 
ty of soft soap has been beat up, after the rate of an ounce of soap 
to three pounds of the Hemp, when dry. Do not squeeze it out 
from this soap-water, but hang it to drain ; and when a little stiffen- 
ed, open a little the bundle, and lay it to dry on a grass-plot or 
floor, the former is preferable. This soap-water is not absolutely 
necessary, but is certainly of great use for softening the Hemp, and 
rendering it pleasant and easy to dress : but it may be dispensed 
with, where it is very inconvenient, and where the Hemp is intend- 
ed for coarse purposes. It is obvious, that all these operations 
would be carried on to the most advantage near to some running 
stream, or large lake, if it be standing water, on account of the 
great use that is made of that element, and to save the trouble of 
transportation. 

When thus dried, the Hemp is proper either for dressing or 
storing : if the latter is intended, particular care must be taken 
that it be thoroughly dry ; it will otherwise heat and spoil. As the 

i i Hemp, 



242 



ON HEMP. 



Hemp, peculiarly intended to be hitherto spoken of is the male or 
flower-bearing Hemp, which is intended for fine uses, it is to be 
observed, that it must be worked with heckles or hatchels such as 
are used for flax- dressing, by which it may be brought to an ex- 
treme fineness ; and the shorts having no pieces of straw or reed 
amongst them, may be carded and spun, and brought into use for 
all the same purposes as cotton, and the same methods used for 
bleaching and softening. It is likewise requisite to work this 
Hemp as soon as pulled, without which the greatest softness and 
whiteness cannot be obtained : and as this sort generally falls ripe 
between hay-time and harvest, when the weather is warm and fine, 
and the women most at liberty, it will be a suitable occasion to draw 
and cleanse the Hemp ; the dressing may be reserved for winter. 



243 



HEMP, 

MR. MARCANDIEES HINT FOR A SECOND WATERING. 



Mr. Marcandier (after remarking, that the fibres of Hemp 
have as much occasion to be washed and purified from their gum, 
to make good thread and fine cloth, as the finest wool to be cleaned 
and purged of the sweat that cleaves to it, in order to be spun, and 
undergo the necessary preparations to its being made into fine stuffs) 
adds, " After having long considered the various means that might 
be found to relieve those who work upon Hemp, and observed in 
the Hemp itself those admirable qualities, of which, hitherto, no 
improvement has been made ; we found that the common watering 
of Hemp was nothing but the dissolution of a tenacious gum, natu- 
ral to the plant, the parts whereof are joined together merely by 
means of it ; and that, in order to this first preparation, it was 
sufficient to leave the Hemp in the water, in proportion to the 
quantity and tenacity of this gum. That, after having prepared it 
only for being peeled or braked, it seemed very proper to give it a 
second watering, to soften the bark, that still remains hard, elastic, 
and incapable of being brought to a proper degree of fineness. Ac- 
cordingly, by the different experiments we made, in the presence 
and under the direction of Monsieur Dodart, Intendant of Berry, 

i i 2 we 



, 2 44 ° N HEMP. 

we have found means easily and without expence to give it those 
qualities that are natural to it, and the uses whereof were not hither- 
to known. 

The water that has already had power to separate the bark 
from the stem, serves also to divide, without trouble or hazard, the 
fibres from one another, by a total dissolution of the gum that re- 
mains in them. For this purpose, the Hemp intended to be put 
into the water is divided into small parcels : these are taken by the 
middle and laid double, twisting them slightly, or tying them softly 
with a piece of strong packthread, that so they may be stirred and 
managed easily without mixing. After they have all imbibed the 
water, they must be put in a vessel of wood or stone, in the same 
manner as thread are stowed in a ley-tub. The vessel is then filled 
with water, in which the Hemp is left for some days to moisten, as 
far as is necessary for dissolving the gum. Three or four days are 
sufficient for this operation ; and if one has leisure to press every 
parcel of Hemp, to stir it, and work it often in the water, which 
it would be necessary also to renew, this dissolution might be at- 
tained more expeditiously, and twenty-four or thirty hours would, 
in that case, be sufficient for the operation. 

When you see that the Hemp is sufficiently penetrated by the 
water, and cleared from the coarsest part of its gum, it must be 
taken out by single parcels, wrung, and washed in some river, to 
purge it, as much as possible, from the muddy and gummy water 
that remains in it. After it is thus cleared, it must be beat upon a 
board, to divide farther the parts that may still remain too gross ; 

then 



ON HEMP. 



245 



then you stretch out, upon an upright piece of strong solid wood, 
every single parcel of wet Hemp, after having loosed the packthread.* 
Then you strike it lengthways with the edge of the instrument that 
laundresses use for their linen, till the thick parts at the ends are 
sufficiently divided. The parcels must not be beat too much ; for 
the fibres by these means being too much separated and weakened, 
will not have strength enough to stand the operations of the heckle : 
and this is a caution, the necessity and consequences whereof can 
only be known by experience. There is even good ground to think, 
that by leaving the Hemp long enough in the water to obtain the 
division of the fibres by the dissolution of the gum only, we might 
dispense with the beating it altogether ; but the different qualities of 
Hemp would require such particular attention, that it would not be 
advisable to take this method. The more quickly the operation is 
performed, the Hemp runs the less danger ; for there is some reason 
to believe, that by lying too long in the water it might have its fibres 
entirely dissolved, and reduced to pure gum. This observation leads to 
a great many remarks upon cordage, hempen cloth, and paper, which 
it might be tedious to insert, particularly here. 

After this easy labour, which after all is the longest that is neces- 
sary, every parcel, one after another, must be washed over again in 
running water, and then it will appear what success is to be expected 

from 

* We have found by experience, that it was more convenient not to use 
packthread in this case, provided care be taken to twist the Hemp, so that the 
fibres may not be mixed or disordered. 



7 



246 ON HEMP. 

from this method. All the fibres of the Hemp thus beat are divided 
in the water, washed, disengaged from one another, and seem to be 
as completely dressed, as if they had already passed through the 
heckle. The more rapid, clear, and beautiful the water is, the 
more are these fibres bleached and purified. When the Hemp ap- 
pears clear enough, and totally purged from its dirt and nastiness, 
we take it out of the water, wring it, open it, and expose it to the 
air ; then lay it on a pole in the sun to drip and dry. 

We might also use, for a second watering, the common leys of 
ashes,* either by making those leys for the purpose, or taking advan- 
tage of those which are made frequently for linen-cloth. From the 
different experiments we have made, and the observations of many 
persons, who with the same assiduity have applied themselves to this 
matter, we have discovered that the gum of Hemp, which has been 
pretty well cleared before, is by no means unfriendly to linen cloth 
when it is mixed with it : and that it will be sufficient, in such a case, 
to put only a layer of clean straw, about two inches thick, in the 
bottom of the ley-tub, in order to filtrate and purify the water, and 
to attract all the mud and gum that is in it. By this easy precau- 
tion, the salts of the ley, thus set at liberty, exert their whole acti- 
vity upon the Hemp or linen, which is penetrated by the water ; 
and it has never been observed, that it left any spot or blemish. It 

* Hemp of a green, grassy colour, may be brought, by the use of the ley, 
to its greatest perfection, and the labour of beating it may be almost entirely 
dispensed with j it becomes white without trouble or loss. 



ON HEMP. 



247 



will be easily imagined, that the warmth of the water, and the 
alkali of the ashes, must bring about a dissolution much more 
expeditiously than can be effected by cold water : but it will be no 
less necessary to beat the Hemp that may still remain not sufficiently 
divided, and to wash it, at least for the last time, in clear running 
water, to purge it entirely from the ley-water and its gum. 



BENGAL. 

MODE OF SEPARATING THE FIBRES FROM THE STEM. 



Hemp. — Cannabis sativa. 

This, Mr. Fleming says, is done by braking. When perfectly 
dried, the stems are taken up and bruised, either with an Europe 
brake, or with a mill, like that used by the Natives for bruising the 
sugar-cane, after which they are scutched and heckled : or the fibre 
may be separated from the stem by peeling, instead of bruising ; 
and when the steeping has been carefully conducted, this mode 
nswers as well as the other. Bengal Cons. 5th May, isoi. 



248 



ON HEMP. 



SUNN. 

Benares. — The Hemp (Sunn) being separated from the stalks, 
and well dried and cleaned, is fit for use. 

Hurriaul. — When the fibres become soft and separate, they 
must be well washed in clean water, and afterwards placed in the 
sun to dry. The Sunn is then fit for use. 

Hurripaul. — On the fifth day of its being under water, it is 
well washed and cleaned ; the next dried in the sun ; after which 
the bark is taken off, when it is again dried in the sun. 

Malda. — After the Hemp (Sunn) is well watered, and the 
bark taken off, it is put in the sun to dry, tied up, and is then fit 
for use. 

Rungp ore.— After the plants are sufficiently watered, the 
bark or rind is stript off, well washed, and beaten about in the 
water, and put in the sun to dry. 

Board of Trade Cons. 24th August ) lld2. 



DACCA DISTRICT. 
Bazetpore. — The bark and fibrous parts being sufficiently 
loosened by watering, it is then laid in the sun to dry ; after which 
the stalks of the plants are pulled out; and the Hemp (Sunn), 
which remains, having been again dried in the sun, is packed up 
in bundles. 

Teetbaddy.— After the Hemp (Sunn) is well washed it is 
exposed to the sun ; and after having been sufficiently dried, the 
stalks are separated from the Hemp, which remains. 



ON HEMP. 



249 



Momensing.— After the Hemp (Sunn) has been well washed, 
the fibrous parts are separated from the stalks and dried in the sun. 

Chaundpore. — After the Hemp (Sunn) is separated from the 
stalks, it is dried in the sun and made up into bundles. 

Tipperah. — After the operations of beating and washing the 
Hemp (Sunn) are done, it is collected and exposed to the sun, and 
on being perfectly dry is tied up into bundles. 

Serampore. — The Hemp (Sunn) is well washed and dried in 
the sun, shaken and cleared. 

Jungypore. — After it has been washed and beaten in the 
water, it is laid in the sun an hour or two ; and when half dried, the 
Hemp (Sunn) is separated from the woody part of the plant by the 
hand, dried in the sun, and carried to market, or laid by for use, 
without any further preparation. 

Patna. — After the cuttings are sufficiently cleared from the 
mud and exterior bark, they, with the interior bark on them, are 
put into the sun to dry ; and when dried, the stems or sticks are 
drawn away singly, with the hand, from within the interior bark, 
which then becomes Sunn, and is ready for use. 

Chittagong. — When watered, the bundles are taken out, 
and the bark pulled from the stick, one by one ; and then it is 
properly washed and dried in the sun, and beat into Sunn. 

Board of Track Cons. Uih January, 1793. 



Mr. Fleming describes the mode of separating the fibres from, 
the stem, as practised by the Natives, to be as follows : 

k k The 



250 



ON HEMP. 



The plants after being pulled up, are put into water. When 
the plants have been steeped three or four days, the dresser, standing 
in the water, takes up a handful of the plant, and breaking it in the 
middle, strikes one end of it on the water, until the fibre separates from 
the stem. He then does the same with the other end. After this he 
hangs it up on lines to dry. When dry it is combed, if intended 
for fishing-nets, or small-lines ; but if for common use, they merely 
separate the fibres a little with their fingers, and make it up into 
bundles for market. By this mode of putting the plants into water 
as soon as they are pulled, without previously drying them in the 
sun, and by letting them remain so long a time in the water, the 
strength of the fibre is much diminished : but the Natives use it to 
save trouble, as the fibres in this way separate easily from the stem, 
without requiring to be bruised or heckled. 
Instead of this he proposes, 

Instead of putting the plants in the water immediately after 
they are pulled up, first to dry them in the sun for two days ; after 
which they should steep them, but not allow them to be in the 
water above forty hours. The plants then should be taken out, and 
dried gently by exposing them three or four hours to the sun. When 
dried, the fibres may be either taken from the stem by peeling ; 
or the stalk may be bruised, scutched, and heckled, in the 
same manner as is practised with Hemp. The Natives would 
probably prefer peeling, as this work could be done by their 
children. 

After 



ON HEMP. 



251 



After watering the plants, they should be bruised with a brake, 
and then scutched and heckled. Were a quantity of this article 
required, the most expeditious method would be with a mill, similar 
to what is used in some parts of Europe ; for an account of which 
vide Encyclopedia Britannka. If particular care is taken with the 
plants, they may likewise be prepared by peeling. After they 
have been watered about the same length of time as for the above- 
mentioned process of braking, they should be taken out, dried and 

heckled. Mr. Douglas.— Bengal Cons. 5th May, 1801. 

In India, the use of the Hemp-brake is unknown. The fibre 
is there divided from the pith, by peeling each plant separately, as 
is also done in some cases in England. If those who peel the Hemp- 
plants, are instructed to remove the fibre with as much caution as 
possible, to prevent it from separating into too small bundles, * and 
afterwards to clear it of as much of the slime and bark as possible, 
by washing it again in water, (operations which would cost little in 
a country where labour is cheap) ; such Hemp is very likely to 
excel materially in strength every kind, in which the fibre is more 
dislodged from its natural station, either by the brake, or any other 

mode of dressing or cleansing. 

Letter from the Lords of the Privy Council to the 
Court of Directors, 4th Feb. 1803. 

K k 2 COMMERCOLLY. 

* So in the Original. Qnere, should it not be Ribbands? 



252 



ON HEMP. 



Commer colly. — When the bundles are taken out of the 
water, the rind is instantly separated from the Sunn, which is done 
by beating on each bundle with a large bamboo. This loosens the 
rind ; when it is finally separated with the hand, and beating it 
about in the water. The Sunn is then hung out on lines to dry ; 
and when perfectly dried is cleaned, by picking, exposure to the 
air, and beating it on mats. Board of Track Cons. \2thJune, 1801. 

Patna. — The principal difficulty to overcome, will be the 
new mode of preparation, as it is attended with additional labour ; 
and it is the labour required, which has hitherto prevented the 
cultivation of Sunn from being extended. It is, therefore, an ob- 
ject of importance, to point out a mode the most likely to facilitate 
the separating the fibre from the stem, so as to render it unnecessary 
to attain this object by steeping the plant so long in water as tc* 
diminish the strength of the fibres. The most effectual way of 
instructing the Natives, will be by example, by shewing them what 
is expected, and the means of obtaining it. 

Board of Trade Cons. 23d June, 1801. 

Luckypore. — Objection is made to the mode of peeling,, 
which, the Natives state, will enhance the expence. In some 
places, the bark is separated from the stalk by beating with a kind of 
mallet, after its being taken out of the water and dried. If this 
mode is eligible, it would be less expensive, and the people be 
more willing to receive the advances, than if required to peel it. If 

it 



ON HEMP, 



253 



it does not answer, peeling might be done afterwards, where some 
Jittle progress had been made ; the difficulty will be in the outset. 

Board of Trade Cons. \lth July , 1801. 

Soonamooky. — The difference in preparation are the drying, 
the shorter period of steeping, and the second drying and peeling,. 
which differ from the mode in practice. The Natives urge, the 
time of steeping is too short to admit of the fibres separating easily, 
and will require compensation for the additional labour. 

Board of Trade Cons. 11th July, 1801. 

Santtpore. — The mode of preparation required does not 
differ materially from that in practice. If what is prescribed is not 
suitable or convenient, some easy mode may be contrived. 

The Resident offers a hint of bruising the plants with rollers, 
as is done with the sugar-cane^ and afterwards striking them upon 
sloping planks, in the manner they thresh the corn ; or to lay them 
on planks, and beat them with a mallet. He thinks this would be 
an expeditious mode, and that what fragments remained therein 
might afterwards be picked out with the fingers. 

The Sunn gets so entangled in peeling with the hand, that it is 
almost impossible to unravel it* Will have it tried again, but broke 
and beat in the water, until the pith is cleared, in the manner prac- 
- tised by the Natives. Board of Trade Cons. \%th Sept. 1S01. 

Mr. Frushard, in his objection to Mr. Fleming's method of 
preparing Sunn, on the subject of peeling, says: — Peeling is 

sometimes 



254. ON HEMP. 

sometimes practised in France, from its giving employment to their 
women and children ; but the Society disapprove of this method, 
because it is attended with the inconvenience of having the fibres 
come off in ribbands, which do not readily divide under the sub- 
sequent operations of scutching and heckling. 

The braking of the reed with the brake (a most simple ma- 
chine) has greatly the advantage of giving suppleness and fineness 
to the fibre, without endangering its strength. 

The Natives have two modes of separating the fibre from the 
reed ; the one is performed in the water, the other on the land. 
When it is done in the water, the fibre is full of the reed ; but when 
on the land, there is scarce any to be seen. 

Upon making an Experiment (see p. 206) he says : — The im- 
practicability of reeding the plant after forty hours steeping is again 
confirmed; and the drying the plant, so contrary to the first au- 
thorities, is again proved to be worse than nugatory, creating delay 
when expedition is required. The fibre, when once it is separated 
from the reed, should be dried as quickly as possible ; for if it is left 
wet in heaps, to be put to dry only when all the work is done, it is 
to the full as bad as if it had been left in the water. As fast as it ar- 
rives out of the people's hands, it must be spread out to dry, either 
on lines or bamboos, and that under cover on the event of rain. 

The objections that were urged against the mode of prepara- 
tion laid down by Mr. Fleming, as stated in the several Residents' 
Letters, having been communicated to that gentleman ; he inform- 
ed 



O N H E M P. 



255 



ed the Board or" Trade, that, in regard to separating the fibres from 
the stem, he inclined to the mode of Beating, as stated by the 
Residents of Commercolly and Luckypore, and was of opinion, 
the Natives might be allowed to follow their own mode : and that a 
latitude should be given to the Residents at all the Residencies, to 
permit the Natives to separate the fibre in any way they, in their 
discretion, should think right. 



Hurripaul. — The Riotts renewed their objections to prepar- 
ing it in the mode prescribed in separating the bark from the stalk. 
The Resident tried some of the earliest cutting in this way, and in 
separating the fibre from the stem, in the i way practised by the 
Natives. Board of Trade Cons. 25th Sept. 1801. 

Rungpore. — The Natives are at a loss to know, how the fibre 
is to be separated from the stem, if the plant is thoroughly dried 
after taking out of the water, and before the peeling commences. 
They observe, it will cause great trouble in picking out the pieces 
of the rind, and will break the fibre into small threads. 

Board of Trade Cons. 25th Sept. J 801. 

Mr. Frushard. — It is recommended to us to dry the fibre 
on the reed, or rather with the reed, when taken out of the water. 
This is very practicable, but is practised by the Natives only when 
they are distressed for time to perform the operation in the water. 
They do this always reluctantly, knowing that the Sunn thus made 
runs into tow, when it comes to be worked ; a fact he verified by 

trial 



256 ON HEMP. 

trial, and laid before the Board, finding it as near as may be two for 
one. The Sunn thus made hath the disadvantage of being more 
elastic, from not being so well cleansed from the gummy matter, as 
when reeded in the water, the fibre in that case being well washed 
and wrung after being separated from the reed, which, when dried 
on the reed, is of course omitted. 

Board of Trade Cons. 4th Dec. 1801. 

Soonamooky. — As at first no latitude was given to depart from 
the instructions as to preparing it, no Riotts would venture to engage. 
They promised to make trial of it in small quantities. They were 
of opinion, that it would be impossible to separate the fibre from the 
stem after the first drying had taken place ; but being at length con- 
vinced that their ideas on this head were erroneous, he began to enter* 
tain hopes that they would have prepared it properly ; — when an in- 
undation took place, and destroyed the plants. He fears the labour 
of peeling will be difficult to overcome. 

Reeding, in the way recommended by the Abb6 Brulles, 
answered tolerably well ; and would have done better, had not 
the plant been stunted, woody, and bitten with the musketoes, 
which hardens the fibre to the boon, where tbey wound it; which 
was pretty general with all the plants, and attended with the neces- 
sity of longer steeping. 

Reeding is liable to the same objection as Peeling, — the time it 
requires. 

The Hand-Brake failed altogether. The Sunn was so brittle 
after the drying, that the fibre broke with the boon in the teeth ; 

and 



ON HEMP. 



257 



and by afterwards damping the Sunn, the boon would not separate 
from the fibre in the heckle. Beetling with a smooth mallet was 
not more successful. 

Santipore. — The chaul, or outer bark, was removed by 
striking the bundle of plants on the water a few times after the steep- 
ing was completed ; and this seems to be the only method by which 
it can be done. 

Passing the plants through the churky, or rollers, as had been 
suggested in the Resident's letter of the 18th July, was found to be 
of disservice, as it flattened the paccautie, or stems, and increased 
the difficulty of separating them from the fibres. 

Beating with mallets, "as practised at Commercolly and Lucki- 
pore, was next tried. This appeared to cleanse the bundles of the 
plants from any remains of the bark or other dirt, and made the ap- 
pearance of the Sunn whiter ; but it also flattened the stems, and 
broke them into pieces, so that the difficulty of detaching them from 
the fibres was much increased. The last, and apparently the best 
method, was that of placing bundles of the plants between two planks, 
with weights on the top, and drawing out the stems one by one, pre- 
viously beating the bundles a little with a few rattans tied together ; 
which part of the process was meant to produce the effect of the mal- 
let, in part, by cleaning off any dirt that might remain, and loosening 
the fibres from the stems, without breaking them ; and I believe it was 
in these respects useful. I found this method the most expeditious, 
and observed, that the fibres were less entangled than by any other. 

The 



253 



ON HEMP. 



The stems in general came out without breaking, and such pieces 
as remained were few, and easily separated by the hand. 

Dacca. — The bark is separated from the stem in the water, by 
beating the plant with a broad stick. It is then the Sunn is washed 
in water, and put in the sun to dry ; after which it undergoes no 
Other cleaning. Board of Trade Cons. Uth July, 1802. 



259 



HEMP, 

METHOD OF SCUTCHING IT. 



Scutching is an operation calculated to clear the Hemp from 
the small particles of the reed, leaves, weeds, dust, and the grossest 
parts of the broken or entangled fibres, which adhere thereto after 
Braking, called toppets or tow ; as also to divide the longitudinal 
fibres, which by their adhesion form a kind of ribband. 

In the place where the scutching is performed, the cieling 
should be lofty, and the windows large, that the dust occasioned by 
the operation may the more readily escape.* 

The workman takes in his left hand a handful of Hemp, weigh- 
ing about half a pound, and grasping it firmly, lays the middle of 
it upon the semicircular notch of the perpendicular board of the 
scutching-frame, and strikes with the edge of the scutch that part of 
the Hemp which hangs down on the board. After giving it several 
strokes, he shakes the handful of Hemp, replaces it on the notch of 
the perpendicular board, and continues to strike it till it becomes suf- 

l 1 2 ficiently 

* M. du Hamel has given minute instructions for forming the implements 
used in this operation, which I shall omit, and in lieu thereof introduce a plate, 
that will give the reader a more correct idea of them than can be afforded by the 
most laboured description. R. W. 



260 ON HEMP. 

ficiently clean, and the fibres appear to be tolerably straight. He 
then turns the Hemp, and performs the same operation on the top- 
end as he had before done on the root-end ; for it is usual always to 
scutch the root-end first. The workmen are too apt to slight the 
middle of the handful ; but it should be equally well worked as the 
extremities. When a handful has been well scutched throughout its 
whole length, the workman lays it across the foot-board of the 
frame, and then takes another, to be prepared in the same man- 
ner. Lastly, when he has collected about thirty pounds of 
scutched Hemp, they are tied up in bundles, and carried to the 
hecklers. 

It is necessary to remark, that if the Hemp were not well ar- 
ranged in the hands of the scutchers, a great many of the fibres 
would be detached and rumpled ; and for this reason, steady atten- 
tive workmen carefully arrange their Hemp before they begin to 
scutch it : yet, notwithstanding this precaution, many of the fibres 
fall to the ground during the operation. These are not, however, 
lost ; for when a certain quantity is collected, they arrange it again 
in handfuls, and scutch it separately ; so that there remains only the 
worst part of the tow, vtfth which mattrasses were formerly stuffed ; 
but having been found unfit even for that purpose, it is now used 
only for making flambeaus, mops, &c. 

It requires more or less time to perform the operation of scutch- 
ing, in proportion as the Hemp Js more or less clean, and free from 
the boon. The quantity of waste occasioned by scutching likewise 
depends upon the same circumstances. A good workman may 

scutch 



ON HEMP. 



261 



scutch from sixty to eighty pounds of Hemp per day ; and the 
waste may be estimated at about five, six, or seven pounds per 
quintal.* 

A competent knowlege of scutching may be very quickly at- 
tained : nothing more is required than care to make as little waste as 
possible. With this qualification, any robust person, with a suffi- 
ciency of strength in his arms, will be fit for it : but strength is ab- 
solutely necessary. From an ill-judged parsimony, this work is 
sometimes entrusted to boys and other inefficient persons, who work 
for little wages. But this is bad policy, and will be avoided by such 
intelligent manufacturers as are convinced of the importance of this 
operation. Indeed, every kind of Hemp ought to be scutched with 
the utmost attention ; and, if it were not for causing too much waste, 
I should even recommend, when the Hemp is coarse and harsh, to 
beat it with mallets before scutching. The following are the advan- 
tages which I think are derived from scutching : 

1. The Scutch more effectually clears the Hemp of the boon, or 
particles of the reed, than any other operation we are acquainted with. 

It is of importance, that the Hemp should be well cleared of 
the boon ; for, wherever any particles of the reed happen to be in a 
thread, they either increase the bulk in such places, which is a 
defect, or they render the thread weaker ; these particles being ex- 
traneous bodies, which do not contribute to the strength of the 
fibres. Besides, these reedy particles sticking sometimes transversely, 

occasion 



* The usual allowance for waste on Russian Hemp is four pounds per hun- 
dred-weight. R. W. 



262 ON HEM P. 

occasion small vacuities, which become filled with tar, and thus 
uselessly increase the weight of the cordage. 

To be satisfied of the utility of scutching, we need only take 
a view of the floor of a scutching-shop, after that operation has 
taken place. But it may be said; and the objection, if founded on 
fact, would be just, that if the heckle alone can detach the whole 
of the boon, the operation of scutching might be considered as 
superfluous. We know the contrary of this by experience. Having 
ordered some Riga Hemp, which contained a good deal of the 
boon, or reedy particles, to be heckled by steady and experienced 
workmen, on fine-toothed heckles; the result of the experiment 
was, that the Hemp still remained full of the reedy particles: but 
having caused some of the same parcel of Hemp to be scutched 
before heckling, we succeeded in making it much cleaner; and 
we plainly observed, that the reiterated strokes of the scutch more 
effectually detached the reedy particles sticking to the Hemp, than 
the heckle, betwixt the teeth of which the boon passed with scarcely 
any resistance. 

2. The operation of Scutching renders the Hemp finer. 

We have already remarked, that the finer and softer Hemp is 
rendered, and the more its elasticity is diminished, the fitter it 
becomes for the manufacture of good ropes. 

The reader may recollect, that, in speaking of Hemp in its 
rough state, or as it comes out of the hands of the peele*, we said, 
that it formed a kind of ribbands, which are very hard: these 
ribbands are composed of the longitudinal fibres, which are joined 

together 



ON HEMP, 



263 



together by smaller and tenderer fibres, or by a sort of vesicular 
web. To render the Hemp fit to be spun into thread, it is necessary 
to separate the longitudinal fibres, by destroying the fibrils which 
connect them. This is, in part, effected by the process of watering. 
"We have remarked, under that Head, that the Hemp begins to rot 
in the water, which weakens all the fibres of which it is composed; 
but that the smallest and tenderest are weakened more than such as 
are thicker and stronger: accordingly, the connecting vesicular 
fibres will suffer most; so that, by that process alone, a considerable 
progress is made towards rendering the Hemp finer by the separation 
of the fibres. — To complete the operation, it is necessary to brake, 
and beat it, by which means the vesicular fibres are broken, whilst 
the longitudinal fibres, which are stronger, resist the force employed 
to destroy the connecting web. The Brake had begun this 
separation of the fibres, and it is rendered more perfect by the 
Scutch. 

Having pointed out the principal advantages to be expected 
from scutching, it will be expedient to reply to some of the 
objections that have been made to that operation, as the speciousness 
of them has so far deceived many of the rope-makers, as to banish 
the practice of it entirely from some of our ports. 

FIRST OBJECTION. 

The Seidell cuts and tears the Hemp, and causes a great deal of waste, 

We would only desire those who are of this opinion, to repair 
to the workshops of the scutchers, and there to verify the following 
observations. 



264 



ON HEMP. 



We have indeed seen Hemp which broke under the scutch; but 
finding that the operation of scutching did not break and tear every 
sort of Hemp, we endeavoured to discover from what cause this 
difference arose. The following are the observations made relative 
to this subject. 

It sometimes happens, that Hemp, even in an advanced stage 
of its growth, will of a sudden be checked in its progress, and become 
weak and sickly. The roots, in such case, are thick and bulky, but 
the upper stalk becomes at once slender. In this case it is certainly 
true, that the scutch meeting with a great resistance at the root-ends, 
detaches them by cutting asunder the stalk, which is very slender 
and weak. This is indeed a waste ; but a waste that is over-balanced 
by the advantages resulting from the operation, as it is essentially 
necessary to remove these hard root-ends ; and the Hemp, which 
breaks, is certainly of a bad quality. 

It is true, that some Hemp resists the action of the scutch at 
the root-ends, but breaks towards the tops. If these sorts of Hemp 
be carefully examined, it will undoubtedly be discovered, that they 
have been watered too much, so that the tops have perished ; and 
that being the case, is it not advantageous to cut off this defective 
part, which is very unfit to enter into the composition of good 
cordage ? 

At any rate, nothing would be gained by refraining from 
scutching such defective Hemp, as the same waste would happen in 
heckling it. Finally, I am convinced from experience, that good 
Hemp does not break in scutching; but that this operation only 

renders 



ON HEMP. 265 

renders it fine, by dividing the longitudinal fibres, without causing 
a greater waste, in general, than from six to eight pounds per 
quintal. 

SECOND OBJECTION. 

Scutching weakens the Hemp, 

Some rope-makers pretend, that it is dangerous to dress Hemp 
to too high a degree of fineness, as it thereby becomes weaker, and 
less fit for the manufacture of good cordage. 

That this is an error, pregnant with the worst of consequences 
in rope-making, has been clearly proved by a great number of 
experiments. 

THIRD OBJECTION. 

Though it may be expedient to scutch the Hemp produced in France;: 
yet, as the Hemp imported from the Noilh is softer, it would 
be a useless labour to scutch the latter. 

We allow, that it is much more necessary to scutch French 
Hemp than that which is imported from Riga; but we are convinced, 
from the result of a great number of experiments, that it is very 
advantageous to make the Russian Hemp, likewise, undergo the 
same operation. 

We are, therefore, of opinion, that every sort of Hemp should 
be scutched; but that it is requisite to perform this operation with 
more care and attention on Hemp that is rough, and full of reedy 
particles, than on, such as is soft, fine, and well cleared of the boon. 

M m Plate IV.—- 



266 



ON HEMP. 



Plate IV. — A. Is a scutch, inclined against the upright board 
of a double scutching-frame; in which is to be observed, the 
handle, by which the workman holds it; and the blade, with the 
edge of which he strikes the Hemp. 

E.— A single scutching-frame, consisting of a piece of wood 
placed horizontally, which serves for a foot-board ; and the upright 
board with a semicircular incision or notch at top, in which the 
workman lays the handful of Hemp to be scutched, as is seen at B. 

D. — A double scutching-frame, consisting of two uprights 
(with their semicircular incisions or notches), fixed to a horizontal 
plank, resting on the floor of the workshop. 

B. — A workman holding a parcel of Hemp in his left hand, 
and preparing to strike it with a scutch of another description, which 
he holds in his right hand, 

C. — A workman shaking a handful of Hemp, in order to 
detach the boon or reedy particles from it. Some scutched Hemp 
is laid across the foot-board of the scutching-frame. 

G. — A workman tying the scutched Hemp in a bundle in 
which state it is carried to the hecklers. 

H. — A workman in the operation of Beating, as described 
under the head of Beetling. 



Properly speaking, Hemp is fit for market as soon as it is 
scutched. The operations of Beating and Heckling are performed 

by 



ON HEMP. 



287 



by the various manufacturers in different degrees, according to the 
purposes to which it is intended to be converted ; but, as these 
operations may be in part applied to the Hemp or Sunn produced in 
India, in order to separate the grossest part of the Tow, I have 
judged it advisable to describe them in this place, 



Mm 2 



268 

H E M P, 

METHOD OF BEATING OR BEETLING. 



Beating of Hemp was formerly performed eritirely by hand; 
but it is now in most places done by a water-mill, which raises 
three heavy beaters, falling upon it alternately ; the Hemp being 
turned all the while by a boy, in order to receive the strokes equal- 
ly. The finer the tow is required, the more beating is necessary. 

Encyclopedia Britannica. 

The next thing is to beat or beetle the Hemp, which is done 
either on a block or in a .trough, with a hammer or with beetles, 
till it feels sufficiently soft and pliable. The beetles used for this 
purpose are moved by hand or by water. Chambers's Dictionary. 



The first operation of the hecklers is bunching or beating the 
Hemp. This was formerly, and is still in some places, done by 
hand ; but in Suffolk is now always done by a mill, which lifts up 
two, and sometimes three, heavy beaters alternately, that play 
upon the Hemp, while it is turned round by a man or a boy, to 
receive the beating regularly. This mill is sometimes worked by a 
horse, and sometimes by water. Suffolk Report. 

In 



\ 



ON HEMP. 269 

In some places, instead of beating the Hemp, they pass it 
under a millstone, in a mill constructed like those that are used for 
making oil of nuts or Hemp-seed. This operation, which is com- 
monly called pounding the Hemp, consists in pressing it every way, 
and by this action forces the fibres to separate and divide, by the 
exfoliation of that part of the gum which joined them together. 
They shake the Hemp and toss it different ways, that it may receive 
the various impressions of the mallet or the mill, during the first 
preparation ; but still this is not sufficient to qualify it for making 
ropes, even of the coarsest sort. Marcandkr. 

Before the Hemp is heckled, it usually undergoes a third 
operation, called Beetling, the design of which is to loosen, and 
thereby more thoroughly separate its fibres. The beetles used for 
this purpose are moved either by hand or by water. 

Mills's Husbandry. 

The strength of the longitudinal fibres of Hemp is, without 
doubt, far superior to that of the small fibres, by which they are 
joined together ; or, in other words, it requires a greater force to 
break them than to separate them from one another ; therefore, by 
rubbing, beetling, and striking the Hemp with reiterated blows, 
the workmen force the longitudinal fibres to separate from one 
another ; and in proportion to the greater or less degree of that se- 
paration, the Hemp becomes more or less fine, elastic, and soft to 
the touch. DuHumel. 



270 



HEMP, 

METHOD OF RECKLING, 



The business of a heckler consists in separating throughout 
their whole length the fibres of the Hemp, which the mill or the 
mallet have only divided in part. The teeth of the heckle carry 
off a part of the gum, which is thereby reduced to dust; and by 
dressing and dividing over again the filaments into which they 
enter, separate them entirely. The oftener this operation is repeated 
with different sorts of heckles, coarse, middling, and fine, the 
more the Hemp acquires of softness and fineness, whether it is 
intended for ropes, or to be worked into cloth. 

It was in this manner the Ancients prepared Hemp*. Thus 
some prepare it to this day; and thus customs, good or bad, are 
continued to perpetuity. In this manner, the Hemp prepared for 
cordage still retains a hardness and a gum, that render the ropes 
stiff, coarse, and not so fit for use. What is intended to be made 
into cloth, produces an ill-coloured thread, coarse, loaded with 
gum, and such that it cannot be used without passing it through 
several leys. The cloth made of it is very hard to be bleached, 

and 

* The heckles used by the Ancients had their teeth bent in the form of 
hooks, whereas ours are straight, and stand perpendicular to the instrument. 



i 



ON HEMP. 



271 



and cannot be brought even to a very indifferent colour, till after 
several months of fatigue and labour. 

The heckles ase various, with respect to their size, form, and 
fineness, according to the difference of countries, and the beauty 
of the works they are intended for ; but in all cases, the methods 
of working, and the end proposed, are the same. Marcandkr. 



When Hemp is intended for coarse yarn, it need only be 
heckled with a large-toothed heckle ; but if for finer uses, it must 
be begun with a coarse heckle, and afterwards passed through one 
or more finer heckles, as occasion may require. The business of the 
heckler consists in separating throughout the whole length of the 
fibres of the Hemp, which the brake and scutcher have divided 
only in part. The teeth of the heckle are of iron, with sharp 
points. The common coarse heckle is about twenty-one inches by 
six and three-quarters ; and the teeth in the rows are about an inch 
and three-quarters asunder ; and extend nine inches and a half from 
the board in which they are fixed. They are placed in a quincunx 
order, so that the teeth of the second row are in the centre of the 
space of the first row. By drawing the Hemp through the heckle, 
the teeth carry off a part of the gum contained amongst the fibres 
of the Hemp, in the form of dust, and by dividing the filaments 
separate entirely the heterogeneous matter contained amongst them. 
To effect this purpose, the heckle being fixed upon a plank, one 
side of which inclines from the workman, he takes a handful of 

the 



272 



ON HEMP. 



the Hemp, which grasping in his right' hand, he draws through 
the heckle, holding the other part of the Hemp in his left hand to 
prevent its being entangled. After one end of the Hemp is suffi- 
ciently heckled, it is reversed, and the same operation performed on 
the other. Taylor's Instructions. 



Of the parcel of Malabar Hemp * imported by Captain Isaacke 
of the Skelton Castle, in 1802, and referred to in the Letter from 
the Lords of the Privy Council, 4th February, 1803, the Commission- 
ers of his Majesty's Navy say : " Having consulted Captain Isaacke* 
" we are of opinion this Hemp could be cleaned, and even hatcheld 
" (heckled), in the Country, where labour is very cheap ; 
" which would reduce the freight, and obviate a complaint which 
" has been made, of the difficulty of hatcheling and spinning it in 
" the state it was imported, from the length and breadth of the 
" fibres, which adhesion is occasioned by the dissolution of the 
" gummy substance, of which it should have been purified by 
" water, when the stems were taken away." 

Report of the Covimissio?iers of the Navy^ to the Lords of Trade, 
21th December, 1802. 

In 

* This importation by Captain Isaacke has been spoken of and considered 
as real Hemp, on account of its different appearance from the Sunn of Bengal. 
It has been seen, from Dr. Scott's Letter to the Bombay^Government [vide p. 24] 
that it is of the genus Crotolaria. 

The 



ON HEMP, 



273 



In heckling, as in scutching, the operation should be performed 
in a spacious airy place, that the dust which it occasions may readily- 
escape, without annoying the workmen. It should also be shel- 
tered from wind, rain, and also the heat of the sun, when very 
violent. 

Heckles are of various sizes, from very coarse to very fine, ac- 
cording to the degree to which the Hemp is required to be brought. 
They are simple and well known.* 

The 

The Doctor says : He does not know whether it be the same plant as the 
Sunn of Bengal ; but the substance obtained from it is preferred to the Sunn of 
Bengal for cotton ropes, where very great strength is necessary. It is far superior 
to any thing of the kind he has seen in the Guzzerat. This, he thinks, may de- 
pend more on the steeping of the plant and the preparation, than on any difference 
in the vegetables that produce it. This observation is in all probability well- 
founded ; since it will be seen, by the following extract of a Letter from Dr. Rox- 
burgh to the Governor-general of Bengal entered on the Public Consultations, 
12th February, 1801, that the substances, though apparently so different, are 
from plants of the same description. 

" The same gentleman (Dr. Hunter) sent me seeds of the Salsette sort. 
They have produced plants, now in blossom ; and from these I have ascertained 
the identity of the species." 

* To the European Reader a description of these implements Avould be 
superfluous ; but as this work is calculated for the information of persons 
who are not, perhaps, very conversant in manufactures, and may be situated in 
parts of India, where the means of information may not be readily obtained, I 
shall give a full description of them. 

The 

N n 



274 



ON HEMP, 



The heckler, who should be a man of good muscular strength, 
takes hold of a handful of Hemp near the middle with his right- 
hand, twists the small end of it twice or thrice round his hand, so 
that the roots and one-third of the length of the Hemp hang down. 
He then grasps it firmly, and swings it round, so that the root-ends 
fall upon the point of the coarsest heckle, and pulls towards him ; 
repeating the operation, and at every stroke engaging more and more 

of 

The heckle is a square frame of oak, or any hard wood, in which is inserted 
a number of sharp-pointed iron pins or teeth, in rows. The coarsest of these is 
called a ropemaker's hatchel, the teeth of which are about an inch in circumfe- 
rence at the bottom, diminishing gradually to a sharp point. The teeth are set 
two inches distant from each other from point to point. The rows are six or 
seven in number, and are set in a quincunx form. 

The second size is called a eagg, and differs in no respect from the other than 
in the teeth not being more than eight inches in length, three fourths of an inch in 
circumference, and only about an inch and a half from each other. 

In the third size the teeth are from four to five inches in length, about half an 
inch in circumference, and set at about an inch distance^ 

There are also various other sizes, the teeth of which are progressively smaller, 
and set closer to each other. The teeth are set in rows, chequer-wise, or in a 
quincunx order. In this way they more effectually resist the force opposed to them^ 
and divide the Hemp better : if they were set square, they would produce no 
better effect than a single row. The points of these teeth are apt to get blunt with 
use, and require frequent sharpening. In the manufacture of cables and 
other large works, only the two coarsest heckles are used. The middle kind are 
required for the light work, such as log-lines j and the other kinds for still finer 
purposes. 

The teeth of all heckles are made of steel, and turned in a lathe. 



ON HEMP. 



275 



of the Hemp among the teeth of the heckle, until his hand nearly 
touches the teeth.* 

By this operation the Hemp is cleared from the reedy particles 
and dust : it is straightened and rendered finer, and those parts which 
were entangled or broken remain in the heckle, as likewise a part 
of the roots; the remainder of the roots are disengaged by twisting 
them round the twitch-pin, and breaking them off with a powerful 
twitch or jerk. The workman repeats this operation till he leaves no 
more roots adhering to the end of the handful of Hemp he is 
preparing: having then drawn it twice through the heckle, this part 
of the handful of Hemp is finished. 

He then proceeds to heckle the top-end in the like manner, 
except that it is only necessary to break off some of the fibres which 
exceed the others in length. 

The thick end should be heckled first, because the roots, when 
entangled or twisted round the teeth, render it necessary that the 
heckler should pull with a force, to which the strength of Hemp 
that had before been heckled and rendered fine, could not resist; 
and for this reason, all good workmen hold the Hemp pretty near 
the roots, because the fibres thence gradually decrease in size, and 
become proportionably weaker. 

n n 2 It 

* In doing this (after four or five strokes) he should break off the ends of 
the Hemp to render them even. This is done by twisting the ragged ends round a 
twitch-pin, which is a stout iron pin fixed by the side of the heckle. This is some- 
times done with the teeth of the heckle, but is apt to bend them. 



276 ON HEMP. 

It is a matter of importance, that the workmen do not at once, 
introduce too much of the Hemp among the teeth of the heckles : 
on the contrary, they should at first introduce only a small part near 
the end, and the rest by degrees, as far as the part they hold in their 
hand. Hemp is heckled for the purpose of disentangling it, 
dividing its fibres, and rendering it finer; and therefore, it may be 
easily conceived, that if too great a length of Hemp were at first 
introduced among the teeth of the heckles, it would be twisted into 
knots, which would resist the efforts of the workman, till the fibres 
of which they are composed were broken asunder. 

Thus, instead of being disengaged, the Hemp would be broken 
and torn asunder; the Firsts or as they are by some termed Longs* 
would be reduced to Toppets, or at least so much shortened, as to be 
fit only to be classed among the Seconds, which would diminish the 
useful part by increasing that which is not so useful. This inconve- 
nience and loss may be prevented by introducing the Hemp 
gradually into the heckle, and by proportioning the effort in pulling 
to the strength of the fibres. It is in this respect that an experienced 
workman distinguishes himself, by producing a greater quantity of 
Hemp of the first quality. 

Some Hemp is so excessively long, that it is necessary to break 
it* ; for it must not be cut, as the ends, where it is cut, are thick, 
and such fibres cannot be joined so perfectly in spinning, as when 
the Hemp terminates gradually. 

If 



* This refevs to Italian Hemp only* 



ON HEMP. 



277 



. If it were possible to spin the fibres of Hemp throughout their 
whole length, it is certain they could never be too long : they would, 
on the contrary, more easily join to each other, and would require 
less twisting to prevent them from separating, which is a considerable 
advantage. When the Hemp is from six to seven feet long, the 
spinners, being unable to extend its whole length in the thread, are 
obliged to double it, which renders the thread less strong and perfect. 
It is sufficient if the firsts be three feet long.* 

When it is found necessary to break the Hemp in two, the 
heckler takes a small part of the handful in his left hand, twists it 
round one of the teeth of the coarse heckle,"!- and, pulling forcibly 
with the right, breaks the Hemp in the same manner as when 
separating the roots. Then he takes another parcel of fibres, on 
which he performs the same operation, until the whole handful be 
broken in two. 

If the Hemp be not excessively long, the hecklers must be 
strictly prohibited from breaking; for it is preferable to let the spin- 
ners have a little more trouble, than to suffer the hecklers to break 
part of the fibres only a foot or a foot and a half in length. 

AVhen the Hemp requires to be so divided in two, care must be 
taken that it be broken in the middle : for it is much more advan- 
tageous to have only firsts, though rather short, than to convert into 
seconds any of the Hemp which might have furnished firsts. 

The 

* The firsts are more esteemed if five or six feet long. R. W. 
f This is better done with the twitch pin. 



878 



ON HEMP. 



The middle of the Hemp should be as carefully heckled as 
the ends : but some timid or awkward workmen, being afraid of 
pricking their fingers, do not let their hand come near the heckle ; 
the consequence of which is, that they dress only the ends; the 
middle remaining almost untouched, which is a very great defect. 

Du Hamel 



APPENDIX, 



COMPRISING ADDITIONAL FACTS AND OBSERVATIONS: 
ON THE CULTURE OF HEMP. 



No. r.. 

A Letter from the Rt. Hon. Lord Somerville,. on the Importance of growing Hemp, 
together with an Estimate of the Expences. 

Such are the political relations of Great Britain, and such is the unjust, as well 
as unnatural, alliance of the Continental Powers against our country, that it be- 
comes an imperious duty to make every possible effort that may tend to ensure 
to her that proud security which her maritime force has hitherto commanded ; 
and on this account I beg leave to call the most serious attention of the cultivators 
of our soil to the growth of Hemp. 

The prejudice which formerly existed against this crop, and the temptation 
offered to the farmer by the great profits arising from its culture, have induced 
many land-owners to insert in their leases covenants altogether prohibiting its 
growth. It is highly probable that, if additional bounties were given by government, 
they would tend to encrease those prohibitions ; and as the culture is now well un- 
derstood in this kingdom, I am inclined to think we no longer need them. Boun- 
ties are not wanted to encourage those who, being released from all restrictions 
on farming their own lands, can draw a profit such as is hereafter stated from a< 
crop which does not lie in ground more than three or four months.. 

To 



280 



APPENDIX. 



To induce landlords to withdraw these prohibitions is my principal object in the 
present concise and hasty statement of facts: and, as it would be improper in me to 
recommend that to others, which, in similar circumstances, I would not do my- 
self, it behoves me to state, that I have strongly advised the growth of Hemp in 
the whole of a parish which belongs to me in the county of Gloucester, provided 
the crop is not sown on the same land more than once in three seasons, and I shall 
give my tenants a similar option in the adjoining county of Somerset. 

It is probable that one hundred and forty thousand acres of land, at the rate 
of a ton from somewhat more than three acres, would grow more than the whole 
annual consumption of this country, amounting to 35,000 tons, (independent of 
what would be required annually for seed ;) and I have no doubt but that a most 
ample supply might be obtained from the ten following counties only, viz. 
Lincoln, Cambridge, Huntingdon, Northumberland, York (East 
Riding), Leicester., Warwick, Gloucester, and Somerset. 

These counties are, perhaps, best adapted to the culture of Hemp, without 
any material derangement of their present system of husbandry, so far as regards 
the growth of corn ; because Hemp is generally admitted to be a most excellent 
preparative for wheat. Thus it leaves the far greater part of South Britain and 
Wales, together with the whole of North Britain, in the undisturbed possession 
of their presept mode of cultivation. A large proportion of Ireland also, from 
its climate, and the strength of its soil, is admirably adapted to the groAvth of 
Hemp. 

This crop may be sown on strong land without manure, and on inferior soils 
with it ; and, unless it is suffered to stand for seed, it does not, in the opinion of 
the best judges, impoverish the soil. 

It requires clean tilth, and is sown to the middle of May, after which neither 
the foot of man or beast must be admitted upon the crop. The expence of seed, 
three bushels per acre sown broad cast, did not formerly exceed one pound ster- 
ling. The average return was seven guineas per acre. The price of seed must, 
of course, at the present crisis, be enhanced, and whether a sufficient quantity 
■can be obtained this season, to sow such a tract of land as is here suggested, 

I pre- 



APPENDIX. 



28 i 



I presume not to affirm. I think, however, that in the course of the present year, 
a sufficiency might easily be procured. 

Hemp is usually sold to the dressers in the same manner as flax, and its ma- 
nagement is in some degree similar. The details of practice now adopted in 
the counties of Lincoln and Dorset, are subjoined to this communication. 

On the whole, it is evident, that any species of land which has not a cold 
subsoil, will grow Hemp with the aid of manure, and strong land, in very good 
tilth, without it ; it is also apparent that every person may grow a little, and, the 
quantity in demand considered, that none need grow a great deal; and that, if 
cultivated on this principle, it cannot diminish the quantity, nor impede the 
growth, of bread corn in these kingdoms Nor ought the speculation to be re- 
garded, that, in the existing and probable state of our national affairs, less Hemp 
may be needed for the mercantile service ; since, in such case, it is clear, that 
the demand for the royal navy will be proportionably encreased. 

Whilst our properties, our lives, and (which ought to be more dear to us) the 
freedom and glory of our country, depend on the superiority of our navies, this 
subject should not for a day be neglected. 

(Signed) SOMERVJLT.E; 

Hill Street, Berkeley Square } 
March 2, 1808. 



O o 



2S2 APPENDIX. 



No. II. 

On the Cultivation of Hemp, as now practised at Crowland, in Lincolnshire, com- 
municated to Lord Someroille by Mr. Wing, Land J gent to His Grace the Duke 
of Bedford, 

Hemp should be sown about the last week in April. It requires a good 
soil, and will not thrive, in clays or cold stiff lands. To produce Hemp, the land 
should be plentifully manured, in the proportion of about twenty-two loads per 
acre. The manure is spread and ploughed in a short time previous to the sowing. 
In this country one ploughing is thought sufficient. Three bushels of seed are 
generally allowed for an acre. The land should be cleared of weeds before sow- 
ing. It seldom happens that any further weeding is requisite ; if weeds do ap- 
pear, the Hemp itself soon chokes them. About the end of September Hemp 
ripens ; it is then pulled up by the roots, and tied in sheaves, of the size of ordi- 
nary corn sheaves. Wages for pulling are, upon an average, about a shilling 
per score of sheaves. In a few days the sheaves are formed into shocks, each of 
which consists of one hundred sheaves. A cloth is laid between every three 
sheaves for the convenience of threshing, and to receive the seed which may 
casually fall out. The shocks are covered with Hemp-lop, i. e. barren and wi- 
thered stalks, to protect them from the weather, birds, &c. In this state they 
stand about three weeks or a month (as it is termed to moutter); should the wea- 
ther prove wet, a longer time will perhaps be necessary. 

The seed is then threshed out in the field, into the cloths, which were before 
stated to be placed between every three sheaves. After threshing, the Hemp is 
covered close with sods in stagnant water. Care must be taken to exclude all 
fresh water after the immersion of the Hemp, otherwise the tendency to peel, 
which is the intent of this process, would be delayed. After having been thus 
steeped about three weeks, Hemp is usually fit to peel j it is then placed in the 

fields 



APPENDIX. 



283 



fields for about a week (in fine weather) to dry : afterwards removed under 
shelter, and peeled by women. The price of labour is about seven-pence pet- 
stone. After peeling, the stalks are formed into bundles of the size of a common 
faggot, and sold for one penny per bundle as fuel, which purpose they answer 
extremely well. There is also another way of making Hemp, called breaking, 
which is performed by a machine named a Hemp-break ; this method, however, 
is but little used at Crowland, except for the small stalks, which it would be tedious 
to peel. The Hemp by breaking is rendered finer and more fit for the manu- 
facture of linen ; for this purpose, however, it should be pulled before it ripens, 
and thus the profit arising from the seed is lost. 

The wages for breaking are from eighteen-pence to one and ten-pence 
per stone, whereas peeling is performed for seven-pence per stone. After 
breaking, the Hemp undergoes several other operations, as heckling, &c. 
By this mode of management, therefore, an additional degree of trouble and 
expence is evidently introduced, which, in the opinion of the cultivators, the 
increased value of the article will not compensate; hence this practice is generally 
disused. 

Land fit for growing Hemp lets from eight to ten pounds per acre. One 

crop of Hemp is not supposed to impoverish the soil materially. Rye is found 

the most advantageous grain to succeed it. An acre of good land will produce 

about three quarters of seed, and about forty stone of Hemp. Seed, at present, 

sells at fifty-six shillings per quarter, and Hemp at seven shillings per stone ; 

therefore, the present profit of an acre of Hemp may be thus computed : 

£. s. 

3 quarters of seed, at 56s. per quarter - - 8 8 

40 stone of Hemp, at 7s. per stone - - 14 

£22 8 

To this must be added, the profit of the peeled stalks. An acre produces 
about four hundred sheaves, a bundle for firing contains about five of these 
sheaves ; hence this part of the profit amounts to eighty pence, or six and 
eight pence, making the whole profit of the acre £22, 14s. 8d. It is to be 

observed , 



284 



APPENDIX. 



observed^ however, that Hemp is now remarkably dear, perhaps' double, of 
nearly so, of what ought to he considered the average price. 
The expences on an acre of Hemp are estimated as follows : 



Manuring 










3 bushels of seed, at 7s. 


1 


1 





Ploughing and sowing . 





10 





Pulling 20 score sheaves, at Is. 


1 








Tying- - 








3 


Threshing and dressing- 





12 





Dyking, sodding, and taking out 





5 





Peeling 40 stone Hemp, at 7d. 


-. a 


3 


4 


Rent - 


9 








Amount of expences 


- *£l4 


14 


4 



From - - sS'22 14 8 

Deduct - - 14 14 4 



Clear profit on an acre of Hemp - aSS- 4 
Thomey Abbey, Dec. 31, 1807. 

1 



No. III. 

Copy of a Letter from Mr. Saunders, of Bridport, to John Bridge, Esq. % 
Winford Farm, communicated by Mr. Bridge to Lord Somerville. 

SIR, Bridport, Feb. 9, 1808. 

Illness has prevented my answering your favour of 
the 28th ult. sooner. Not being sufficiently conversant in the culture of Hemp to 
answer all your enquiries, I deemed it necessary to consult a person, who has 

many 



APPENDIX. 



285 



many years been in the habit of purchasing Hemp in ground, and harvesting it. 
The fanners here sow it themselves, and sell it on the ground ; they are seldom 
known to harvest it. Their method of culture is as follows : When they 
want to bring apiece of tillage land to a wheat crop the next year, they generally 
maintain it with about twenty or twenty-five putt loads of spit dung per acre, 
or an adequate quantity of lime, though the preference is given to dung, if it 
can be obtained. Then, after plowing the ground three times, and working the 
manure well in, they sow it with Hemp, which has a tendency to cleanse th* 
ground as well as enrich it, and is almost sure to produce, the following year, an 
excellent crop of wheat, and the year after a good crop of barley or flax, and 
after the third year, they commonly bring it to Hemp again, &c. by dressing as 
above. The farmers generally sell it on the ground from seven to about twelve 
pounds per acre. An average crop is worth ten pounds per acre. I forgot to 
say, that half the quantity of dung would be sufficient, provided the fold can be 
run over the ground. The latter seldom fails to produqp a good harl to the. 
Hemp. 

The following are the particulars relative to an average crop, and the ex- 
pences incident thereto. 

Average crop 15 weight per acre, 32lbs. to the weight in Dorsetshire, 
30lbs. to the weight in Somersetshire, and 14 bushels of seed per acre. Of the 
Male Hemp (which produces no seed, and is always drawn about six weeks before 
the Seed Hemp) fifteen women will draw one acre per day ; that cost will be, 
including liquor, £\. 2s. 6d. Spreading Male Hemp, turning and taking up 
ditto, about 7s. 6d. per acre. Ten women will draw one acre of Seed Hemp in 
a day; cost, including liquor, 15s. Thrashing out the seed, and winnowing, 
(reckoning two men and five women per acre), cost, including liquor, 1 3s. per 
acre. Spreading, turning, and taking up Seed Hemp, 7s. 6d. per acre. 

There is no machine for dressing Hemp; the process is performed by 
women and children, who scale it by hand and are paid Id. per lb. for the Male 
Hemp, and \\. per lb. for the Seed Hemp. It is then fit for market, and the 
manufacturer buys it, at about 16s. 6d. or 17s. per weight ; present price, about 

ISs, 



286 



APPENDIX. 



18s. Seed, in harvest time, is generally worth 5s. 6d. or 6s. per bushel. It is a 
very fluctuating article, and is now worth 10s. 

I am inclined to think that somewhere about 145 acres are sown annually 
within eight miles of Bridport. I know of no other place where it is sown, ex- 
cept in Somersetshire, where they grow a large quantity. I would recommend 
you to consult some one there, as the farmers harvest it themselves, and are 
never known to sell it on the ground, as the custom is here. I think it would 
encourage the culture of Hemp, very materially, were government to give a 
liberal bounty to the growers, when produced fit for market ; more Hemp in that 
case would be sown, and consequently more ground would be brought round 
for wheat. They find the lands of Brad pole, Loders, Walditch, Rotherhamp- 
ton, and Allington, very congenial for Hemp. The preference is generally given 
to rich, sandy, deep soils, but they never like to sow it after tares. 

Sir, the above is the best information I can give you at present. If, in any 
farther stage of this business, I can be of service, beg you will command me. 
Till then, I remain, with sentiments of respect, 

Your very obedient servant, 

H. SAUNDERS. 

P. S. The time of sowing, if the season permits, is about the 29th of May. 
Two bushels of seed will be sufficient for one acre. 



INDEX. 



A. 

Atiroma Angusta, page 21. 

Agave Americana, 21, 26 (note). 

Agricultural Society of Britanny, observations 
and experiments of, on the process of water- 
ing Hemp, 180, 182. 

of Tours, remarks by, on 

the quality of water to be used for steeping 
or retting Hemp, 183, 184. 

Aletris nervosus, 21," 26 (note). 

Average Produce of Hemp in different places, 
126 et seq. 

of Sunn in Bengal, 129, 

130. 

in the Dacca Dis- 
trict, 130, 132. 

B. 

Bagoo-tree, bark of, manufactured into 
twine, 25. 

Bang, or Banja, Indian names for the Hemp- 
plant, 20, 21. 

)..... an intoxicating liquor so denominated, 
21, 22. 

Banks (Sir Joseph), on the culture of Hemp, 
32, 33. 

Banksia, a substitute for Hemp, 26 (note) 
Bark of the Hemp-plant described, 17, 18 
.... of various plants made into twine in the 

Island of Sumatra, 25. 
Baroo-tree, bark of, manufactured into 

twine> 25. 



Barren, or male Hemp, how distinguished 
from the female or fruitful plant, 5, 19. 

description of the- 

plate illustrating its structure and growth, IO; 

Beccles, average estimate of expenses and pro- 
fit on Hemp cultivated there, 136, 137. 

Beetling of Hemp, how conducted, 270. 

Bengal, Hemp cultivated in, 20. 

different names there given to this 

plant, il. 

Hemp can be raised there only on 

rich soils, 37, 53, 54. 
preparation of land for, Sad. culture 

of, Sunn, 55, 57. 

quantity of seed sown there, 72, 73. 

...... proper season for sowing Hemp, 80, 81, 

time of sowing Sunn, 82. 

best method of sowing Hemp, 91, 

Sunn* il. 92, ^ 

time and mode proper for pulling 

Hemp and- Sunn, 113, 114. 
...... average produce of Sunn there, 129, 

130. 

estimate of comparative profit and 

expense on Sunn cultivated there, 146, 148. 

...... method pursued in, for drying Hemp 

and Sunn lefore watering, 161 - 170. 

process for watering Hemp and Sunn 

described, 194-196. 

mode of drying, after the plants 

have been watered, 221 - 22 i. 
...... method of separating the fibres from 

the stem, 247, 248. 



288 



INDEX. 



Board of Trade (Bengal), observations of, 
on the culture of Hemp, 22, 23, 37, 38, 
40, 41, 54, 63, 72, 73, 74, 75, 82, 83, 
165 - 171, 224 et seq., 250 ef seq. 

Bogs, drained, well calculated for raising 
Hemp, 41. 

Boggy Sunn, a substitute for Hemp in the 

East-Indies, described, 22. 

subsequent culture of (see Sunn) 

Bombay, Hemp cultivated there, 24. 

Method of culture, 63, 64. 

Botanical Description, of the Hemp plant, 

1, 11. 

Braking or Breaking of Hemp, how conduct- 
ed, 226 et seq. 

mode of braking practised on the 

Continent, 233, 234. 

Suffolk method, 234, 235. 

Breulles, M. new process recommended by, 
for steeping Hemp, 185, 186. 

Bridport, mode of cultivating Hemp there, 
284, 2S6. 

Brightness of Hemp -seed a criterion of its 

goodness, 65, 66, 67. 
Britanny, observations and experiments by the 

Agricultural Society of, on watering Hemp, 

180, 182. 

Broad-cast method of sowing Hemp inferior 
to drilling, 86. 

Bridles, observations by M. L'Abbe, on the 
preparation of land for Hemp, 50. 

on the choice of seed, 67. 

on the quantity to be sown, Jl. 

on the proper time of sowing, 79- 

on the best mode of sowing, 89. 

...... estimate by, on the expenses and pro- 
fit of cultivating Hemp, 133, 134. 

...... hints by for steeping Hemp, 184, 

185. 

method recommended by, for separa- 
ting the fibres from the Hemp, 239-242. 



Bunga, or Bungh, Hindoo names for the 
Hemp-plant, 21 . 

C. 

Coloaee, bark of, manufactured into twine in 
the Island of Sumatra, 25. 

description of, ib. 

Cannabis domestica, \1. 

erratica, 5. 

........ Jiorifera, ib. 

feecunda, ib. 

fceminea, ib. 

.fructifera, ib. 

mas, ib. 

... sativa, Linn. 1, 5, 11. 

silvestris, 12. 

sterilis, 5 . 

Chambers, Mr., his description of the Hemp- 
plant, 11. 

on the preparation of land 

for sowing, 46. • 

on the drying of Hemp, 158. 

Chateauvicux, M. de, his management of 

Hemp, 103, 109. 
Chittagong, Hemp cultivated there for Bang, 

an intoxicating liquor, 22. 
Choice of Hemp-seed, hints for making, 65, 

67- 

Coir, a species of palm, substituted for Hemp 

in India, 21, 26 (note). 
Coke, the best fuel for drying Hemp, 21 7. 
Colour, bright of Hemp-seed, a proof of its 

goodness, 65, 66, 67. 
Commercolly , culture of the Sunn-plant there, 

22. 

Corchorus olitorius, 21. 

capsularis, 26 (note). 

Coromandel, Coast of, usual seed-time for 

Hemp there, 85. 

Crotolaria juncea, 21, 26 (note). 

Crowland, mode of cultivating Hemp at, 281, 
234. 



INDEX. 



289 



D. 

Dacca, culture of Sunn in the district of, 

58; 63. 

quantity of seed sown there, 73, 

74, 75. 

time of sowing, 82, 83. 

time and method proper for pulling 

Sunn there, 115 - 117. 

average produce of Sunn in, 130-132. 

estimate of comparative expenses and 

profit on Sunn cultivated there, J50-153. 

mode pursued in, of drying Sunn be- 
fore watering, 177- 

practice of watering Sunn, 196-202. 

method of drying after steeping, 225. 

mode of separating the fibres from the 

stem, 248. 

Dew-retting of Hemp, how conducted, 1 73, 
175. 

Dickson, Dr. on the soils proper for Hemp, 
42. 

Donaldson, Mr., on the advantage of early 
sowing, 80. 

Douchj, a substitute for Hemp in India, 21. 

Douglas, Mr. on the culture of Hemp in Ben- 
gal, 54. 

on the culture of Sunn, 63, 83. 

Drilling, preferable to broad-cast in sowing 

Hemp-seed, 86, Q5. 
Drying of Hemp previously to steeping, 157. 

instructions for, 158 - 160. 

after steeping, hints for, 216 - 225. 

DuHamel, M., observations of, on the soils 

proper for Hemp, 35, 36. 
on the preparation of land for 

sowing, 43, 46. 

on the choice of Hemp-seed, 68. 

on the proper time of sowing, 

79, 80. 

P 



Du Hamel, M., on the advantage of thick 

sowing, 90. 
on the best method of pulling 

Hemp, 111, 112. 
observations on the best method of 

obtaining Hemp- seed, 120, 121. 
hints for conducting the drying of 

Hemp before steeping, 1 59. 
process for watering Hemp recom- 
mended by, 186, 192, 
instructions for drying Hemp ajtcr 

steeping, 218, 220. 
^ directions for Iraking Hemp, 231, 

232. 

Dung, less indispensably necessary than good 

tillage for Hemp, 4Q. 
of Pigeons an excellent manure, 44, 

45, 51. 

Durno, Mr., on the management of Hemp in 
the North of Europe, 58, 89, 90. 

on the Polish method of dressing 

Hemp, 177- 

on the drying of Hemp, after water- 
ing, 215, 216, 234. 

Dust, fecundating of the male Hemp, 7, 3. 

E 

Ejoo, a species of palm, the bark of, converted 
into cordage, 26. 

Endeloo shrub, the bark of, manufactured in- 
to twine, 25. 

Expenses and profit on Hemp, sundry estimates 
of, 133, et seq. 283, 285. 

F 

Farina fcecundans, or fecundating dust of the 

male Hemp, 7, 8, 12. 
Fawkener, Mr., observation of, on the strength 

of Hemp, 37. 

P 



290 INDEX. 



Fawiener, Mr., on the stowage of Hemp- 
seed for exportation, 69. 

Female Hemp, how ' distinguished from the 
male, 5, 6, 1Q. 

description of the plate illustrating its 

structure and growth, 10. 

time for pulling it up, 108, 109. 

Fibres of Hemp, how separated from the 
stems, 226, et seq. 

Fishing-nels made from the bark of the Bagoo- 
tree, 25. 

Fish-ponds on no account to be used for water- 
ing Hemp, 1 77. 

Fleming, Mr., on vegetables cultivated in 
India, as substitutes for Hemp, 21, 22, 36. 

on the culture of Hemp in Ben- 
gal, 53. 

on the Bengal mode of sowing, Ql. 

remarks on drying Hemp, 161, 221. 

Flowers of the Hemp-plant, growth of, de- 
scribed, 6,14. 

France, culture of Hemp in : see Du Hamel 
and Marcandier, in this Index. 

Fruit, or seed of Hemp, growth of, 15. 

Frushard, Mr., observations by, on the process 
of drying Sunn previous to watering.165,170 

remarks of, on the process of steep- 
ing or watering, 202, 210. 

on drying the Sunn-plant after wa- 
tering, 222, 224. 

G 

Ganja, a Bengalese name for the Hemp- 
plant, 21. 

Gathering of Hemp, 103, 112^ 

Germination, various stages of, in Hemp-seed, 
described, 2, 4. 

explanation of the plate illustra- 

ing it, 9. 



Ghore- Sunn , a substitute for Hemp in India,. 

described, 22, 23. 
flourishes only on rich, dry soils, 

39. 

culture of in the Dacca District, 

61, 62. 

Glossy appearance of Hemp seed, a proof of: 

its goodness, 66, 67. 
Gomuti, a species of Palm, substituted for 

Hemp in [ndia, 21 . 
Grassing of Hemp, 214. 
Grass-lands, newly broken up, well calculated 

for growing Hemp, 41. 

H 

Haxey, average produce of Hemp at, 128. 

expenses and profit on Hemp, there 

140, 141. 

Heckling of Hemp, how conducted, 270. 
.Hemp-plant, Botanical description of, 1, 11. 

distinction between male and female, 5. 

roots of the wild and cultivated varieties 

described, 12, 13. 
period of blossoming uncertain, 15 ,' 

(note) 

stem of, described, 17. 

cultivated in Bengal, 20. 

raised in the East-Indies chiefly 01 its 

narcotic properties, 21. 

..... cultivated at Bombay, 24. 

in what countries grown, 27, 28. 

of the soils best suited to its growth, 

29, et seq. (See Soils) 

may be grown for years on the same 

land by annually manuring, 29, 44, 50. 

..... does not impoverish the soil under pro- 
per tilth, 34. 

strength of its fibre depends on the pro- 
portionate richness of soil, 35. 

large crop of, from a peat-bog, 41. 



INDEX. 



29 r 



Hemp requires rich, deep, moist soils., 30, 31, 

33, 35, 36. 
..... yet will grow on deep, mellow, sandy 

soils, 42. 

...... but it must be sheltered from the blasts 

of high wind, ib. 

soil for, must be previously well pre- 
pared by repeated ploughings, 43. 

must be watched after seed sown, to 

prevent depredations of birds, 44, 45. 

in dry seasons should be watered if prac- 
ticable, 45, 46. 

methods of preparing the land for, in 

Suffolk, 48. 

and in Lincolnshire, Ag. 

..... rotation of crops previous to sowing 
Hemp in the North of Europe, 50. 

. . culture of, at Bombay, 63, 64. 

on the choice of seed, 65. 

criterions to ascertain its quality, 65, 

66, 67. 

disagreement of, with soil and climate, 

how indicated, 66. 

...... quantity of seed to be sown per acre, 70. 

sown in Bengal, 72, 73 

in the Dacca Dis- 
trict, 73, 74. 

..... proper season for sowing, 76, 80. 

directions to be observed in sowing, 

86, 90. 

advantage of being thickly sown, go, Ql. 

culture of, subsequently to sowing, 93, 

97. 

..... possesses the valuable property of de- 
stroying weeds, 93, 95. 

drill husbandry best suited to, Q5, 96. 

. . . . . should be watered, if practicable in 
dry seasons, Q5, 96. 

. . . . . in what cases to be weeded, 96, 97. 

modes of ascertaining its maturity, 99, 

102. 



Hemp, manner of gathering, when ripe, 103, 
112. 

expense of pulling, 105. 

should be pulled up by the roots, 106. 

mode of obtaining the seed, 118, 124. 

average produce of, in different places, 

126, et seq. 

profit on the cultivation of, 133, et seq. 

preparation requisite to render Hemp 

fit for sale, 157. 

drying previously to steeping, 157, 158. 

process of watering, or retting, describ- 
ed, 172, et seq. 

dew-retting of, how conducted, 173, 

175. 

rotting of, in snow, Russian procesi 

described, 1 94. 

drying of, after steeping, 214, et seq. 

method of breaking, or separating its. 

fibres from the stems, 226, etseq.. 

process of peeling, described, 236, 23S. 

scutching of, how performed, 259. 

et seq. 

..... heckling, or beetling, process of, de- 
scribed, 270. 

..... vegetables cultivated in India, as substU 
tutesfor, 21, 22. 

additional hints on the culture of, by 

Lord Somerville, 279, 281. 

seed : (See Seed) 

oil, expressed from : (See Oil) 

Hibiscus Cannabinus, 21, 24. 

....... manchot, 26, (note) 

mutabilis, ib. 

....... tiliaceus, ib. 

Horse-hoeing husbandry capable of being ad- 
vantageously accommodated to the culture of 
Hemp, 95, 96. 

Huntingdonshire, remarkable crop of Hemp 
from a peat-bog, in, 41k 



P p 2 



/ 



J, 

Jungypore, vegetables cultivated there as sub- 
stitutes for Hemp, 22, 24. 

K. 

Kantala, a vegetable substituted for Hemp in 
India, 21 . 

Kinnub, an Arabian name for the Hemp-plant, 
20. 

L. 

Lampoon Country, twine made there from the 
bark of the Bagoo-tree, 25. 

Lincolnshire method of preparing land for 
Hemp, 4g. 

mode of watering Hemp, 176- 

method of drying Hemp, after 

steeping, 21 7. 

Lirium usitatissimuni, 26 (note). 

Livonian mode of rotting Hemp in snow de- 
scribed, 194. 

process of watering Hemp, 204. 



M. 

M' Donald, Mr. on the raising and dressing 

of Hemp and Flax, 35. 
on the manures and preparation of 

land for Hemp, 51, 52. 
on the proper time for sowing, 

79- 

hiats by, for obtaining Hemp- 
seed, 123. 

observations on the drying of Hemp 

before steeping, 158, 159, ' 

on the watering of Hemp, 192. 



E X. 

M' Donald on the drying of Hemp after steep- 
ing, 220. 

's instructions for breaking Hemp, 

232. 

Male and female Hemp, distinctions between, 

5, 6, 19. 
.... Hemp, why so called, J, S. 
.... description of the plate illustrative of 

its structure and growth, 10. 
.... time for pulling it up, 106,107. 
Manures proper for Hemp, 44, 51. 
abundance of, necessary to the 

growth of strong Hemp, 31, 32. 
should be applied every year, 29, 

44, 50. 

not so absolutely indispensable as 

good tillage, 49. 

Marcandier, M., his description of the Hemp- 
plant, 12, 19. 

on the culture of Hemp, 27, 33. 

manures recommended by, 50, 

51. 

on the choice of seed, 67. 

on the proper season for sow- 
ing, 77, 78. 

on the best mode of sowing 

Hemp, 88. 

. . . : on the advantage of watering 

Hemp, 96. 

method recommended by, foi 

obtaining Hemp-seed, 123. 

hints for drying Hemp, by, 1 60* 

instructions for watering Hemp, 

178, 179- 

on the drying of Hemp after 

steeping, 216. 
directions for breaking Hemp, 

227, 229. 

hint by, for a secondj watering, 

243, 244. 



INDEX, 233 



Marsden, Mr., on the culture of Hemp and 
its substitutes in Sumatra, 25, 26. 

Merty Paul, a substitute for Hemp in India, 
21. 

Miller, Mr., observations on the proper soil 

for Hemp, 2Q.' 
Mills, Mr., on the soils best suited for the 

culture of Hemp, 31, 32. 

on the choice of Hemp-seed, 68. 

on the proper season for sowing, 76, 

, 77, 78, 79- 

on the best mode of sowing, 88, 89. 

instructions for weeding Hemp in 

certain cases, 97. 
on the best method of procuring seed, 

122. 

observations on drying Hemp hejore 

steeping, 15Q, 160. 
hints for watering Hemp, 176, 180, 

184. 

on the drying of Hemp after steeping, 

216, 217. 

instructions for breaking Hemp, 229, 

230. 

Murgha, a substitute for Hemp, cultivated in 
India, 21. 

N. 

Neas (island of), cloth made therefrom the 

bark of the Baroo-tree, 25. 
Nettles, several species of, manufactured into 

twine in the Island of Sumatra, 25. 
Norfolk, average produce of Hemp in, 126. 
expenses and profit on Hemp in, 

141, 142. 

mode of watering described, 172. 

Nova Scotia, expenses and profit on Hemp 
there, 145. 



O. 

Oil extracted from Kemp-seed, its physical 

properties, 16. 
. . . applicable to various economical purposes, 

ib. 

P. 

Paat Plants, substituted for Hemp in India, 

description of, 23, 24. 
Palms, two species of, cultivated in the East 

Indies, as substitutes for Hemp, 21. 
a species of, cultivated in the Island 

of Sumatra for cordage, 26. 
Paut plant, reared in India as a substitute for 

Hemp, 21, 23, 24. 
.... length of time necessary for steeping, 

205, 206. 

Peeling of Hemp, process of described, 236, 
238. 

Phool-Sunn, a vegetable substituted in India 

for Hemp, description of, 22. 

subsequent culture of : see Sunn. 

Pigeon's Dung, an excellent manure for 

Hemp, 44, 45. 
Pitt, Mr., on the soils proper for Hemp, 42. 
Plates illustrating the germination and growth 

of the Hemp-Plants, description of, 9, 10. 
Ploughing two or three times indispensably 

necessary for the successful growth of Hemp, 

43, 46, 47. 
Polish mode of dressing Hemp, 177> 1 78- 
Produce (average) of Hemp in different places, 

126, etseq. 

Profit, estimate of, on the cultivation of 

Hemp, 133, etseq. 
Pulling of Hemp, proper season for, 105 s 

112. 

expense of, 105. 

...... instructions for pulling Hemp, 111* 

112. 



'204 



INDEX. 



Pulling Sunn, instructions for, m Bengal, 

113, 114. 
in the Dacca District, 115, 117- 

Q. 

Qualify of Hemp-Seed, how to ascertain, 
65, 67. 

....... of soils, regulates the season of sow- 
ing Hemp-seed, 75, 79- 

water to be used for steeping Hemp, 

177, 178, 183. 

Quantity of Hemp-Seed to be sown per acre, 
70, 71- 

of Sunn sown in Bengal, 72, 73. 

R. 

Rainleard, Mr., useful contrivance of, for 

watering Hemp, 172. 
Retting, or Rotting of Hemp : see Watering. 
Riotts, their method of cultivating Hemp, 

53. 

River water, whether preferable to stagnant, 
for retting Hemp, 177, 178. 

.... observations by the Agricultural Society 
of Tours respecting, 183, 184. 

Robinia Cannabina, 2], 26, note. 

Roxburgh, Dr., on the culture of Hemp, 20. 

List of plants which may be sub- 
stituted for Hemp, 26, note. 

. ., on the soils proper for Hemp, 

' . ... .... on the packing of seed for expor- 
tation, 69. 
87- 

on the proper time for sowing, 

Running water prohibited in England, by 
law, from being used for steeping Hemp, 
73. 



Russia, mode of cultivating Hemp there, 32. 

expenses and profit of Hemp in, 

144. 

rotting of Hemp in snow, how con- 
ducted there, 1<)4. 

mode of drying Hemp after steeping, 

223. 

S. 

Saisette, hemp cultivated there, 24. 

method of culture, 63, 64. 

Saunders, Mr. on the culture of Hemp, 284, 
2S6. 

Saugerus Rumphii, 26, note 

Scott, Dr. on the culture of Hemp at Bombay, 

24, 25, 63, 64. 
Scutching of Hemp, nature of, 259. 
in what manner performed, ih. 

206. 

advantages of this process, 261, 

262. 

objections to, answered and remo- 
ved, 264. 

description of the machine employ- 
ed for this purpose, 266. 

Seed (Hemp) description of, 1, 2. 

.... process of through the different stages of 
germination, 2, 4. 

.... description of the plate explaining its 
structure and growth, 10. 

... . w account of its substance, external, and 
internal appearance, 1 6. 

.... hints for choosing good seed, 65, 67. 

.... new, in all cases the best, 67, 68. 

.... instructions for exporting from Eng- 
land, 69. 

.... quantity of, to be sown per acre, 70. 
, . . . methods of obtaining, HQ, et seq. 
.... whether it improves by sweating, 1 19, 
120. 

.... on the extraction of oil from : see Oil, 



I N D 

Serampore, on the culture of Sunn at, 39. 1 

Sinclair, Mr., description of the Hemp- 
plant, 12. 

.... on the soil proper for Hemp, 30. 

.... on the sowing of Hemp-seed, 48. 

.... on the proper time for sowing, 76. 

.... on the drying and watering of Hemp, 
161, 174. 

Soils proper for Hemp, 2Q. 

.... should be rich, deep, and moist, ib. 
■30, 31, 35, 3s6. 

.... and near to rivers, 33. 

.... richness of, regulates the strength of the 
fibres in hemp, 35. 

.... proper time for breaking up, 46. 

... . . proper for growing Sunn in Bengal, 54,55 

.... preparation of, in Bengal, 55, 5f. 

the Dacca District, 

58, 63. 

.... quality of, regulates the season of sow- 
ing, 78, 79- 

.... on the drying and watering of Hemp, 
161, 174. 

Snow, the rotting of Hemp in, how conduct- 
ed, 194. 

Somerville, Lord, on the culture of Hemp, 279, 
281. 

Soonamooky, on the growth of hemp there, 37. 

Sowing, method of, in Bengal, 52, 53. 

proper season for, in England, 76, 80. 

in Bengal, 80, 81, 

. . ... . . time for, dependant on the quality of 

the soil, 7 8 , 79- 

directions to be observed, while sow- 
ing, 86, 90. 

Stagnant water, whether preferable to river, 
for steeping Hemp, 171, 178, 183, 184. 

Steeping of Hemp : see watering. 

Stems of Hemp, how separated from the fi- 
bres, 226, etseq. 



E X. 295 

Sterculia Vdlosa, 26, note. 

Stern Gallery of a ship, the best place for 

stowmg Hemp-seed, 69. 
Substitutes for Hemp in the East Indies, 2], 

22, 25, 26. 
Suffolk mode of preparing land for Hemp 

48. 

average produce of hemp in, 127, 

128. 

profit and expenses of Hemp, 137- 

method of drying Hemp, after steep- 
ing, 214. 

of breaking Hemp, 234, 235". 

Sumatra, Hemp cultivated there for smoking, 
25. 

Sunn plant, cultivated in Bengal in lieu of 

Hemp, 21. 
.... three species of, described, 22, 23. 
.... soils best calculated for, 38, 39. 
.... will grow on any but wet, low, lands, 

40, 63. 

.... preparation of soils for, in Bengal, 55, 

56. 

.... seed of, will not keep beyond a season,, 
69. 

.... average produce of, in Bengal and the 

Dacca District, 129, 134. 
comparative estimate of expences and 

profit on, in Bengal and Dacca district, 

148, etseq. 

Bengal method of drying, previous to 

watering, 162, 170. 
process for drying in the Dacca District, 

171. 

of watering in Bengal, 195. 

in Dacca, J 96. 

How dried in Bengal after waterings 

221. 

in the Dacca District,- 

225. 



296 I N D 

Sunn, Fibres of, how separated from the 
stem, 247, 258. 

Sweden, rotting of hemp in snow, how con- 
ducted in, 194. 

Swineshead, mode of preparing the soil at, for 
Hemp cio;. 48. 

» average produce of Hemp there, 

128. 

, profit and expences of Hemp ct, 

138, 139. 

T. 

Taylor, Mr. observation of, on the distinc- 
tive characters of the male and female 
Hemp, 19. 

observations of, on the preparation 

of land for 1 em p, 52. 
on packing seeds for exportation, 68, 

69. 

instructions for the proper time of 

' sowing, 78. 

observations of, on the best mode of 

pulling Hemp, 111. 

method recommended by, for obtain- 
ing Hemp-seed, 123, 124. 

instructions for watering Hemp, 192, 

193. 

on the drying of Hemp after water- 
ing, 220. 

directions for breaking Hemp, 232, 

233. 

Theolroma angusta, a substitute for Hemp, 
26, (note.) 

Guaguma, ih. 

Threshing of Hemp, an injurious mode of 
obtaining the seed, 122. 

Tillage, good, more indispensable than ma- 
nure, 49. 

Time, length of, proper for the steeping or 
washing of Hemp, 173, 174, 177, 203. 



E X. 

Tours Agricultural Society, remarks of, on 
the quality of water to be used for steeping 
Hemp, 183, 1S4. 

Twine manufactured in the Island of Sumatra 
f om various vegetables, 25. 

U. 

Ulet Cummal, a substitute for Kemp in India, 
21. 

V. 

Vegetables, list of, cultivated in India as sub- 
stitutes for the Hemp-plant, 21 . 

in the Island of Sumatra, 

22, 26, 25, 20 

Vegetation of Hemp-seed, how promoted, 
69. 

W. 

Water, river or stagnant, which to be preferred 
for steeping hemp, J 77, 178, 183, 184. 

Watering of Hemp, should be effected in very 
dry seasons, 96. 97, 

Mr Rainbeard's useful contrivance 

for, 172. 

Suffolk mode, 173, J 74, 175, 

176. 

duration of time requisite for this, 

process, 173, 174, 177, 203. 

Weeds destroyed by Hemp, 93, Q5. 

Weight of Hemp-seed, a criterion of its rela- 
tive goodness, 65, 66, 97. 

Wing, Mr. on the culture of Hemp, 282, 284. 

4 Y. 

Young, Mr. A., on the culture of Hemp, 11, 
12. 

description of the Norfolk mode of 

watering, 172. 



Printed by Cox, Son, and Baylis, 
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